In the Absence of Destruction
by KateEals
Summary: Andros, out of guilt, does not kill Zordon. Thus, the evil doers of the world linger and continue to destroy. Former Rangers are called back into service, including Tommy and Kim after the revelation of the truth behind the letter. AU Countdown to Destruction, TK, Andros-Ashley, plot suggested by Greaser Angel.
1. Prologue: Contemplation & Hesitation

**Author's Note: **So, the origin of this piece came from a completely random request by **Greaser Angel** about writing an AU Countdown to Destruction story. I don't really know **Greaser Angel** yet, but I hope to get to know them. This person has a really elaborate idea for how this story should go, and I am just trying to do it justice. I can't promise on quick updates as I am currently writing the most involved and ultimately angsty piece I've done so far on traumatic brain injury in the Flashpoint fandom called "Glasgow," but while I was writing the next chapter of that story the ideas for this one kept invading me. Hence, here we are. All credit for the original idea and plot go to **Greaser Angel**. I just bring it to fruition with my own quirky manner…

I don't own or have rights to Power Rangers, Terminator, or any incarnation there of…Hehehe, check out my phony legalese…

In the Absence of Destruction

Prologue: Contemplation and Hesitation

**The Dark Fortress**

As Andros stood with his arms raised preparing to do as Zordon, the true creator and ultimate leader of the Power Rangers on Earth, had requested him to do. With his arms raised, he thought about his original charge as a Ranger, a charge similar to that given a police officer on his or her graduation from the police academy: to protect and serve. Protection was the true intent of all those given the protection of the power. Power Rangers were heroes first, vanquishers of evil in the process.

With his arms raised he questioned the wisdom of the act he was about to make. True, it was upon the orders of the leader of this organization of life savers and vanquishers of evil that he was standing here in this position to strike, but it was also this same leader whom had made so many people heroes, guided, mentored them, made sure they were the people they needed to be to defend Earth and beyond from the forces of darkness, evil, despair.

With his arms raised he hesitated, contemplated a world without such a force of ultimate goodness, contemplated a world where a line of young people would exist with a charge to protect and serve the people of Earth and beyond without the guidance of their leader. He knew there was no guarantee that this action he was about to make would truly rid the world of all evil, that there might be some lingering bits of destruction and malignancy out there in this world, this universe he had sworn to protect.

With his arms raised, he hesitated and thought about the sure consequences of his actions.

With his arms raised, he imagined a world without Zordon and the guilt he would feel for destroying a sentient being of pure honesty, integrity, and goodness.

**Somewhere in Angel Grove**

"I know this is cliché, but, come with me if you want to live," Tommy ordered with a smile as he guided a group of innocent citizens of the battered town to a place of safety.

His appearance was dusty, dirty, disheveled, and bloody from the effects of the monster attacks that had afflicted the town. But somehow his demeanor was in no way affected. He was still the cheerful, hopeful person the protection of the power, which he had freely given up over a year ago, had afforded him. He knew he could use the training and life lessons he had learned from his years as a Power Ranger to help him lead defenseless and scared people to safety.

During the attacks that had left the town in shambles he had been forced to give up his nascent job as a race car driver and return home to Angel Grove to make sure his friends and family were safe. Little did he know how massive the destruction of the current forces of darkness would become.

As his home city gradually became a line of piles of rubble and refuse, he cut his signature, but now he realized was a hindrance to him in such a state of constant physical discord, long hair. Whenever he thought about cutting his hair, he thought about how much his Kim (because he would never think of her as anything or anyone else) had loved to run her fingers through it, combing it in a loving embrace. He'd always had to shake his thoughts from this idea, from this notion of a past reality; in all but less than a hundred words, Kimberly had put the whole kibosh on their relationship and any lingering sensations it may have engendered. Still, he knew he still loved her, longed for her, longed for her presence, longed for her safety.

As he guided his group of civilians towards a safe house structure he had helped to create, he thought about HER again. He thought about her existing in Florida where the destruction of evil had not yet touched. He thought about how evil comes in many different forms and that she may not be completely safe now without her powers, especially as she was most likely focusing more on her gymnastics and letting her martial arts skills wither into the night of uselessness. He could just imagine a stalker in the night coming to try to claim her against her will. He could just imagine what would happen if the evil now afflicting their common, self-chosen hometown expanded to where she was now residing. Her decision to brake-up and claims of him being like a brother to her (he still shuddered at the thought in conjunction with the memory of their last make-out session) aside, he still loved her. Still wanted her. To be safe, and to be with him.

**Some amorphous Gymnastic Training Center in Florida**

Kimberly and her team mates stood in front of the gym television and watched a news cast from earlier.

"Oh my God!" one girl exclaimed as a couple of ordinary citizens stepped up to claim the deadly honor of being Power Rangers.

"Whaaayeee," Kimberly murmured in complete confusion. "Bulk and Skull?" she asked with an incredulous and questioning face.

"OMG, Kim!" another team mate exclaimed. "You know them, the Power Rangers!"

Kim scoffed and smirked. "Yeah, I went to high school with those punks. Trust me, they are in no way Power Rangers," she said as she shook her head in wonder at their act of loyalty and bravery. "But strangely and disturbingly, Skull is look'n pretty hot right now…" she trailed off as she observed the first showing of what was definitely not false bravado by the pair. Sure, she had been true friends with them, especially Skull, for the past couple of years, but she'd never expected them to pull an act like this. She'd never expected them to be this courageous.

And as she thought of how strong and brave Skull looked to her, she thought of how this was borderline cheating. She thought about how her heart still belonged to Tommy even if he had broken up with her and shunned her, along, inexplicably, with the rest of her friends, that she still loved him, would always love him.

And now she thought of where he might be during this entire episode of destruction. She could only pray that he was safe and protected.

**The Dark Fortress**

Andros lowered his arms. There was no way he could do this, no way he could kill the one true force of goodness throughout the entire universe for the supposed promise of peace for all ages. There was no way he could kill any sentient, pure being, period.

Would the absence of this destruction result in more damage than he could ever imagine? He could never guess, but he could also pray.

He lowered his arms and swore, "Forgive me," as he locked onto the position of The Dark Fortress and Zordon's place of captivity.

As he teleported out of the prison he had just left for fear of what true freedom would mean to its captive, he heard a faint cry, "nooooo….."

**Additional Author's Note: **So, there we have the prologue. Please leave a review and let me know what you think, especially **Greaser Angel**. Please let me know if this is going the way you imagined. : )


	2. Back to Action

**Author's Note:** Special thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, or added to favorites or alerts this story on the strength of just the prologue. So happy that people have found this as interesting as I have : ). Again, **Greaser Angel** gets all credit for the original idea of this story. From ideas spark new ideas, such as the synthesis of this story I am now creating. Without **Greaser Angel's** simple, clear, original thoughts, I never would have come up with the idea to write such an adventurous, angst-y, dramatic, and (because it's me) sarcastic story. So, thanks!

I don't own or have rights to Power Rangers, Newsweek, or Winnebago. Hey, does anyone else always think of Buffy and the Scoobies trying to escape Glory when they see a Winnebago now…

In the Absence of Destruction

Chapter 1: Back to Action

**In a Winnebago on the Moon**

Rita Rapulsa frowned as she looked through the eyepiece of her signature telescope. _Hmm_, she thought. True, she had just taken it out of its storage place where she had kept it for nearly three years while she, her emotionally cuckolded 'husband,' and her motley crew of minions (including her lame-brained brother) had been traveling through space after being dismissed from their palace of disruptive power on the Earth's Moon. She lifted the hem of her dress and wiped the copious layers of dust (moon and other) from both lenses of the telescope. Peering through the eyepiece once more, she smiled. "Ohhhh, Zeddddddieee," she sang-out with glee.

The holder of the metaphorical king of nothing crown, Lord Zedd, looked up from the four year old edition of Newsweek Magazine he had been reading in his easy chair. "What is it, my sweet?"

The winged, but still demoralized Goldar gaged from the corner at the initiation of this exchange.

"Hahahaha, take a look down on Earth. Angel Grove is in complete chaos! Astronema and her forces are concentrating all of their powers of destruction right on that city. The Power Rangers are looking even punier than ever! They're so busy failing to defeat Astronema and her forces there that they couldn't possibly stop an attack from our forces elsewhere in the world, Or Even In Another Part of The City!" Rita shouted in glee as she caught a glimpse of a familiar face leading a group of battered and defeated looking people through the rubble of Angel Grove. "Tommy, my wayword son…" she breathed.

Zedd, meanwhile, was using his super vision to view another section of America. "Ahhh, look down in Florida. Kimberley, still cute and helpless as ever…"

Goldar, the toothless lieutenant of evil that he was, sighed from his personal corner. Zedd always had had a disturbing obsession with the original Pink Ranger. He'd hoped his master had gotten over that when he married Rita (the only REAL advantage of the phony union), but he now assumed old habits die hard.

His gruff sighs and scoffs of disgust woke-up Squat, Baboo, and Rito from their now nearly constant comas of slumber. Life on the run had truly changed the three monsters into house dogs that spent their time sleeping 20 hours a day. "Hey!" Rito exclaimed. "Did somebody say something about the hot little Power Brat? Man, I never minded guarding that sweet piece of a—"

"Duurrr, five more minutes, Dad…" Squat murmured as Baboo nodded and closed his eyes again.

"I know, my sweet!" Zedd shouted, effectively cutting off any non-sequitur commentary from his moron minions. "How about we send them a little present to announce our return to the moon? We can send the Tengas to greet Tommy and the Puddies to see Kimberly. Hahahahahahahaaaa," he chuckled evilly.

"Darrrggg, Master, are the Tengas even still on our pay-rol—"

"Silence, Goldar! The Tengas are always willing and ready to heed my commands!" Zedd punctuated his statement by smacking Goldar in the head with his staff.

"Yeah, Goldie! Don't rain on our parade!" Rita chimed in as she strode over to her husband to wrap an arm around him. "And take Rito outside to spar! Once we weaken the former Power Brats up with our loyal foot-soldiers, we'll send you two down to finish them off. And, Finster!"

The old monster maker wearily approached his mistress. "Yes, my Queen," he sighed.

"Make me a monster!" Rita ordered with waaaaaayyy too much enthusiasm in Finster's opinion. _Whatever_, he thought, but in actuality voiced, "Of course, my Queen," in a perky voice.

"Hahaha!" Zedd laughed with pure glee for the first time in what felt like to him centuries. "Yes, Astronema's forces will defeat the Space Rangers while we take-out the number one and two ranked Rangers of Zordon's Dream Team. Then, we'll rule the world with an iron fist of darkness!"

The demented laughter of evil voices resonated throughout the Winnebago and could almost be heard by the now desperate souls on the increasingly battered Earth.

**On the Megaship**

As the majority of the Space Rangers teleported back to the Megaship after what they interpreted as a defeat in battle in Angel Grove, they were greeted by the dower face of their team leader. Andros had teleported straight from Astronema's evil lair back to the Power Ranger's current home base and had ordered the rest of his team to do the same.

"Andros, man," TJ walked forward to his leader at the sight of his defeated face. "What on Earth happened? I thought this was all supposed to be over now."

Andros shook his head. "The only ASSUMED way," he made sure to place extra emphasis on words that signified the uncertainty of the positive results of the actions Zordon had ordered him to make, "to end this was to break Zordon's energy tube to release all of good energy into the universe. He thought it might change things, turn things back to the natural order of righteousness and goodness. But," the Red Space Ranger hesitated as he sighed and looked specifically into Ashley's eyes, "I just couldn't do it, couldn't kill Zordon. There's no way we can be sure that killing him will have the healing effects we anticipate it to have; he doesn't deserve to die for a guess. We need to defeat Astronema's forces of evil another way."

Zhane scoffed in disgust and stepped right up into his best friend's face. "And what about Karone? She's your sister after all. What, are we just gonna kill her to end this? What happened to her isn't her fault! She doesn't deserve to die!"

"My sister was already dead, Zhane," Andros said softly with tears in his eyes. "This Astronema who replaced her certainly deserved to die much, much more than Zordon." Andros continued cryptically. The tears of realization were already beginning to build in Zhane's eyes. "…She fought me, Astronema, tried to kill me and—"

"NOO!" Zhane shouted as he ran towards his best friend, a person he now saw as a murderer. Andros, tears still brimming in his own eyes, readied a fighting stance to face his oldest friend.

Seeing the two closest allies preparing to trade blows, Ashley stepped in between the two men to stop them from fighting. As she did so, Zhane brought his hand back to strike Andros; Andros moved to block Ashley from getting into the middle of the confrontation, but in the process knocked her into the path of Zhane's punch. As Andros turned his head to make sure his love was alright, Zhane let loose the second punch in his combination, catching Andros off guard and knocking him to the ground.

As Andros fell, his head hit violently against the ground, knocking him out. "Andros!" Ashley shouted after getting over the inadvertent blow to the chin she had suffered. She knelt down beside his motionless form and took a moment to stare up at the grief stricken face of Zhane. In that moment of connection, she understood where his anger had come from. Stroking Andros' face and gently calling his name, Ashley prayed that she would not have to feel the same thing Zhane was feeling any time soon.

**Angel Grove**

As Tommy continued to lead his group of civilians to safety, he looked into the distance to see the Space Rangers fighting. The battle did not look like it was going well for them thus far. Every attack they made was met by a counter attack by Astronema's forces. Finally, the worst thing he could have ever expected to happen did: his younger counterparts out in the distance seemed to accept defeat and teleported away.

Tommy sighed in defeat himself.

However, before he could contemplate the meaning of this retreat too deeply, a flock of the all too familiar Tengas of Rita and Zedd's regime descended from the sky. "Great. Welcome to my nightmare," he said under his breathe.

"Alright, Tyler wasn't it?" Tommy nodded to one of the middle aged people in the group he was leading. The man nodded. "I need you to continue to lead these people. There's a tunnel in the wall about 300 meters up ahead; turn in there, it'll lead to a subway tunnel. Follow the tunnel to the end of its tracks. That's where the safe house is. Got it?" The man nodded his head in bewildered shock at being named worthy of the task of leading a set of people to freedom. Tommy smirked. "Good. Get going. Now." He finished in his commander voice of authority.

As the majority of the people left with Tyler and the Tengas landed, Tommy looked over to see that there was one tall young man standing with him assuming the same fight ready stance he had. "Umm," Tommy shook his head, "You should really leave with the others, Mr…."

The young man smirked. "I'm Fred, Tommy, all 'growed' up and ready to help you fight."

Tommy smiled in recognition of the now young man, but once young boy he used to know. The kid was certainly not lacking in courage. As Tommy remembered, the kid had single handedly organized the rescue of virtually all of the parents in the town of Angel Grove not too many years ago. He nodded his head and turned to towards the Tengas, and looking at Fred said, "Back to action," with an 'awe-shucks' smile and shake of his head.

**In Florida**

"So with the unrest that is starting to pop up all over the world, I'm sorry girls, but the Olympics are being cancelled," the coach of Kimberley's gymnastics training center declared.

During the chorus of moans and weeping, all Kim could do was nod her head and smirk darkly. With all of the increasing news reports of monster attacks that were starting to appear all over the world, she really couldn't blame people, especially the officiators of the largest athletic competition in the world, becoming panicked. She just hoped that the current Rangers holding the protection of the power would be strong enough to handle the chaos now being unleashed.

"It's best that you all go home in a pack right now and wait out the storm, so to speak," the coach continued, "in your apartments. Things may become very dangerous and unpredictable even where we live."

Kim nodded her head and signaled for her team-mates to follow her. It really was best if they got back to their homes as soon as they could. "It's alright, girls," Kim assured as they left the sanctuary of their gymnastics home. "I'm sure the Power Rangers will take care of this and we'll be training for the Olympics again before we know it!" She finished this declaration with a reassuring smile that even she couldn't believe. There were never any certainties in the life of those who fought evil for an unpaid living.

Just after saying this and exiting the building, the all too familiar Zedd Putties appeared before Kim and the rest of her team. "Great," Kim murmured sarcastically under her breathe. "I guess it's back to action."

**Author's Additional Note: **Oh yeah, I've got some cool ideas for this piece. Thanks for reading! **Please leave a review** and let me know what you think of this chapter and story so far.

Peace,

Eals


	3. Eye Opening Experiences

**Author's Note**: Hey guys! Thanks to everyone who's been reading, reviewing and such, this story. I'm glad everyone's been having as good of a time with it as I am. Fun side note: when I was telling my friend, whom many of you may know as the Great and Powerful **Shiggity Shwa**, (I'm so laughing my butt off at the tongue and cheek nature of this statement. Just don't look behind the curtain, hehehe; no but really, she is a really great writer), about this story, I had to tell her about Andros and Zhane because she'd stopped watching Power Rangers before Space. She told me they sounded like stripper names so she was just going to call them "Cookie and Candy." Needless to say, I L'edMAO for about 2 days after that. Oh, "Maurice," there is no better Space Cowboy than you, hahaha. So, I didn't think this chapter would be this long, but of course Cookie and Candy (hahaha) took longer than I thought. Everything always takes longer than I thought it would, because I'm such a big egg head who can't shut-up. So, enjoy the next chapter, my friends : )

I don't own or have rights to Power Rangers.

In The Absence of Destruction

Chapter 2: Eye Opening Experiences

**On the Megaship**

"Andros," Ashley pleaded, "Andros, can you hear me?"

After taking a blow to his face from his best friend and slamming hard to the floor on his head, Andros had been out for two, for Ashley, excruciatingly long minutes. As she knelt next to him, stroking his face and begging for him to give her some response of consciousness, the clock continued to tick by at a sloth's pace. Each second, each breath, seemed like an eternity as every half minute she took a second to semi-glare, semi-sympathize with Zhane, the subject who had rendered her soul mate unconscious. Although furious with him for losing his temper and escalating the situation in a truly un-tenants of Zordon type way, in this moment she could truly empathize with how he felt about losing Karone.

After another half minute, Andros began to stir. Groaning, he opened his eyes and looked up at Ashley. The first place his eyes settled on her was on the now forming bruise on the left side of her face. "Your face," he raised his hand, concern lighting his own visage, to her jaw to gently inspect the damage evident there. "Are you alright?"

Ashley smiled and chuckled as she held his outstretched hand to her face. "I'm fine, Andros. Actually, I was a lot more worried about you."

Andros stared at her in confusion for a beat before the events of a few minutes earlier flooded back to him. Clouds of darkness soon rose to his eyes.

"Zhane," he said as if it was a swear. He tore his hand away from Ashley and balled it in a fist readying to jump up and retaliate on his best friend for bruising his girlfriend. But, as he attempting to rise sharply, his head began to swim and he had to turn it to violently vomit in a manner confirming that he had suffered a concussion.

"Andros!" the collective members of the Space Rangers shouted in concern for their friend and teammate. TJ immediately stepped forward to both prevent any further aggression between the old friends and to make sure Andros didn't make any more sudden movements.

Despite the obvious plight his oldest friend was in, Zhane's eyes still smoldered with fury. He looked as though he was willing and emotionally able to physically confront Andros once again, consequences be damned.

TJ took a moment to stare deeply into both Andros and Zhane's eyes, reading their states of mind as if he was a career police profiler. "Guys, you both need to chill. Look, man," he stared at Zhane, "I get that you're upset about Karone, but beating your best friend sense-less isn't going to bring her back. Andros had to fight the evil villain that took over her body or die himself. And, Andros," TJ diverted his attention, "you need to give your friend some allowances. It's obvious you're lashing out over guilt for what you had to do. Zhane doesn't deserve to be the target of that guilt, even if he did accidentally hit your girlfriend. You both, just," TJ was starting to struggle for words as he was not used to having to be a negotiator, especially with two men who tended to be calm enough to never need intervention, "you guys just need to…chill."

Carlos stared at TJ with a raised eyebrow as if to say, "_brilliant analysis, Sherlock_." TJ shrugged in response.

"Look, guys," Ashley began. "I know everything's pretty messed up with us right now," she continued to unconsciously rub Andros's arm in comfort where he leaned against her in a semi-seated position for support, "but we still have a problem with the monsters attacking Earth. It's more than Astronema's forces that we're dealing with now. And," she hesitated as she looked down at Andros's head with a bit of a defeated expression, "and I don't think we're strong enough to beat it on our own."

A sense of dread descended upon the entirety of the team at the spoken revelation of this fact. "Wait," Cassie perked up. "What about the Turbo powers?"

Now Carlos fed Cassie a raised eyebrow. "Yeahhhhh, what about them, Cas?"

"They weren't completely destroyed. We could get some of the old rangers to take them and help us fight. Sure, the forces of darkness out there are strong, but guys," Cassie smiled brightly at all of her friends, "together we're stronger." Andros and Zhane looked less than enthusiastic at Cassie's cheerful use of platitudes.

TJ ignored their negative faces and addressed the team, assuming his former leadership position. "Right, Cassie. You get in contact with the original Turbo Rangers and see if you can get them to help us," he began dispensing orders. "We'll all help with that while Ashley," he addressed the couple still seated on the floor, "take Andros to the infirmary to get checked out. He obviously has a concussion and we're gonna need him on the top of his game. And Zhane, you—"

"No," Zhane cut him off. "No orders for me. I just need some time. I'm going to my quarters. Let me know when we have a game-plan." The depression and defeat in Zhane's voice silenced any arguments or attempts at pep-talks from the others for him. He left the bridge with his head down-cast, shoulders slumped in melancholy.

"I'll get in contact with Kat first," Cassie said, tearing everyone's attention away from Zhane's defeated and retreating form. "She's in London, a relatively safe place right now, and might know how to contact the others." Cassie smiled to herself. "Not to mention the whole sisterhood of Pink thing."

"Must be nice to have one color," TJ mumbled sarcastically, but with a smile of jest on his face.

"Don't look at me," Carlos joked back. "Black is bad-ass, man. Plus, I'll never have to live in the shadow of Tommy Oliver with this color."

TJ chuckled. "Don't count your chickens, man. Knowing that dude, he'll have every color, including pink," he winked at Cassie, "by the time he turns 35 at this rate."

Cassie narrowed her eyes at the thought of a guy invading the sisterhood of Pink when a light bulb went off in her head. "Wait! Exactly! We can get Tommy to get in contact with some former rangers for us. I'm sure as a former leader he knows where everyone is."

"Right," TJ agreed. "I'll try to get in contact with him while you call Kat. Things might be iffy if he's in Angel Grove right now." He finished his statement darkly, the memory of the destruction of their hometown still fresh in his mind.

**Some Amorphous Dance Studio in London**

Katherine Hillard unconsciously stretched her long legs as she stared at the television hanging from the dance studio's break room ceiling as she took a break from training. She frowned to herself. The best she could glean from the latest news report was that the current team of Power Rangers were not doing too well. However, she still had the utmost respect and confidence in the team that she had helped to form and appoint to power. She herself knew first hand that the cards often looked like they were down for the rangers, but nothing, not even the greatest forces of darkness, had ever kept them down long.

"Kat," one of her young coaches awoke her from her reverie. "I really do hope the Rangers can handle this latest threat," the young English man replied as he became distracted by the onscreen news report."

Kat raised her eyebrows at him to encourage him to finish his previous thought.

"Errm, phone for you," he replied.

"Thank you, Ian." Kat walked to the other end of the lounge. "Katherine Hillard," she answered in a cheerful voice.

"Kat, its Cassie," a tired, yet somehow still perky voice replied.

"Cassie, oh God, how are you guys? I've been watching the news, are you all alright?" Kat held a bit of a mother hen attitude towards her younger counter part. Sisterhood of Pink and all…

"Yeah, Kat, yeah, we're a bit beaten, but we're all still in one piece. Listen," Cassie began as if she didn't have much time to talk in the midst of such widespread destruction. "The truth is, we really need help. We can't beat these bad guys on our own. We need you and the former Turbo Rangers to help us."

Katherine farrowed her brows at this revelation of need. She knew there was no shame in asking for help when one needed it, but she just had a hard time believing the Rangers would be so far down in their luck that they would need to recruit retired Rangers for help. She especially couldn't imagine why they would come to her for help first. Despite the growing confidence she had gained from her time as a Zeo and Turbo Ranger, she still had lingering feelings of unworthiness left over from being turned evil before she became a Ninja Ranger and from her lack of martial arts background. Additionally, and she admitted to herself, selfishly, she liked how her life was right now. She was loath to go back to her former life of danger, especially when she was still unconvinced that she was the best person for the job.

She decided to voice these fears. "Cassie, I'm honored, really, that you would ask me, but," she sighed into the phone as she could almost hear Cassie holding her breath on the other side of the line, "I really don't think I'm the best person for the job in this time of need."

Cassie was confused by this answer. She couldn't imagine any former Ranger turning down a plea for help. "I don't understand, Kat," she answered simply.

"Look, Cas," Kat quickly began to explain. "It's not that I won't help. I'll always be available to help you, but I just don't think I'm the person who should receive the power in such a dire time." Realization dawned on her for the perfect solution to the problem. "You need to call Kimberly, Kimberly Hart. The original Pink Ranger. She's so much stronger than me, more experienced, was second in command of the Mighty Morphine Power Rangers for almost two years, and really your best choice for a Pink Ranger in this time of destruction. She deserves the power more than me." Kat smiled to herself as she thought of the irony of bequeathing her power to the very person who had given her that power to begin with. Life had come full circle, and she couldn't be happier of this development of circumstances. "She's in Florida. She was training for the Olympics, but we've just been told that in light of the world-wide threat of destruction, they've been canceled or postponed at best. I know she's the best choice and I know she won't turn you down."

"Kim Hart is a legend," Cassie almost whispered reverently into the phone. "No other Pink Ranger has ever had the leadership responsibility she has, and you're right, she was a very powerful and skilled Ranger, but," Cassie hesitated not wanting to make too much out of rumors she'd heard. "We're recruiting Tommy too. Isn't there some sort of bad blood between those two? We wouldn't want anything to get in the way of team cohesion."

Kat could almost hear Cassie metaphorically biting her nails on the other side of the phone line. She sighed deeply to herself in exasperation. "Oh, not that again," she mumbled. "Listen, Cas, I swear to you that the only thing you can count on is Tommy and Kim being completely professional with each other. A lot of people say they were the greatest Rangers there ever were and some stupid, and I'm still completely convinced, misunderstood circumstance from their past is not going to affect their ability to work together to defend the Earth. They both care too much about what's right to let personal problems get in the way."

Cassie felt slightly chagrined for succumbing to the temptation to entertain such rumors of animosity. "Your right, Kat. I'll get in contact with her as soon as possible, but keep your ears and eyes open for some other contact from us. I have a feeling that before this whole thing is over we'll need to take you up on your offer to help in any way you can."

Katherine smiled to herself at the consensus they had reached_. Yes_, she thought, the way things were going she was sure she would have to lend a hand in some capacity before this was all over. "I'm always here, Cassie. Good luck, and may the Power protect you," she smiled as the phone disconnected.

The grin on her face lingered as she thought about the consequences of this phone call. Tommy and Kim together again. In some way this gave Kat hope, not only for the fate of the world with two such legendary Rangers back in the fight, but for the hope of reconciliation between the two. She always knew she had just been Tommy's rebound girl, and never begrudged him for still loving Kimberly. She knew Kim was his true love deep within his heart and she had never wanted to be "the other woman." She had hoped that if they worked together again they'd be able to reconcile and clear-up any misunderstandings they may have had. After all, there was always a voice of doubt in the back of Kat's head while she was with Tommy that Kim had never really written the letter. She wanted the best for the team and the best for her friends, and thus she hoped Tommy and Kim would work everything out. The Rangers, the world, needed them in their top form and she knew that would not happen until they returned to their normal state of stasis: together as one.

**On the Dark Fortress**

He told himself he had done this before, concentrated all of his energy and transferred power to one in need. Sure, the times he'd performed this task had occurred with the help of Command Center technology and a subject with a pulse stronger than 20 beats per minute, a subject not taken and left for dead. But he knew he could do this. The fate of the world, this adopted home he'd sworn to protect, and the universe at large depended on it.

Zordon concentrated all of his power from his place inside his time-warp and drew it towards the being once known as Astranema, but whom he always knew was Karone deep within her heart. He concentrated his thoughts and energy and soon a weak line of energy surged towards the young woman's deathlike form.

"Awaken, Karone. Come back to the life and light of goodness," he goaded as he worked his mental exercises.

He continued in this way for what felt like, even to a timeless being like himself, an eternity. Finally, he could concentrate no longer, and the weak transfer of energy ceased. As he sighed to himself, he admitted his failure. He resigned himself to watching a poor victim of circumstance fade into death before him.

On the floor across the room from Zordon, the collapsed form of Karone laid still. As Zordon looked on in depressed defeat at his wasted effort, the two orbs of sight on Karone's face slowly opened.

**Additional Author's Note**: I like the mirrored action of the two siblings opening their eyes at the beginning and end of this chapter. You'll have to see if it's truly mirrored or a juxtaposition in future chapters. I've learned to have no real plan for exactly what chapter everything will be in; I have a sequence of events laid out, but I always end-up taking far longer to get to them then I anticipate. I'm wordy and cerebral in nature. Thought and emotion always make stuff take longer. Oopps. Oh well, no one's complained about that yet, knock on my wooden peg-leg. Just kidding! I don't really have a wooden peg leg; although, I've had an arthritic Achilles tendon since I was about 17…I digress. See, this is what happens with me! My digressions of musings take a life of their own! The life of Eals…

**Please leave a review** and let me know what you think of this chapter. Your encouragement and constructive criticism always helps with my writing process.

Later gators,

Eals


	4. Return of Some Old Friends

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! Thanks to everyone who has been reading, reviewing, and 'following' (Whaaaaa? *shrugs*) this story. Sorry it took so long to get out. Kung Fu fight scenes freak me out to write. I'd much rather watch them. Personally, I'm much more interested in exploring the thoughts and emotions caused by said fight scenes, and really, of overall human existence. I've gotten pretty adept at writing SWAT action scenes (but much more so the negotiations then the tactical part, cause, hey, that's what interests me more to write), but have never written a hand to hand combat scene, so, I hope this goes okay. Plus, the last chapter of my angst-athon story ended up being 5000 words of, you guessed it, I-want-to-shot-myself-in-the-foot angst, so my brain needed some time to recharge.

I don't own or have rights to Power Rangers, Road Rules, or Terminator. Just a note on Road Rules: I'm so glad this story is allowing me to delve back into some of my 90's nostalgia, like watching Road Rules at a friend's house…I'll have to get Beanie Babies and Pogs in there somehow too…

In The Absence of Destruction

Chapter 3: Return of Some Old Friends

**Angel Grove**

As the Tengas began to swoop down to the ground, Tommy and Fred continued to hold their fight ready stances. "Any suggestions for handling these guys, Sensei?" Fred asked his former karate teacher with a hint of good natured sarcasm.

Tommy scoffed. "With these duffuses?" He turned his head to smirk at his former student. "Just smack 'em around a little. Anything under Zedd's employ tends to be pretty cowardly. Yeah, that's YOU guys!" Tommy taunted the first Tenga to land in front of him. Falling into becoming baited by the former Ranger's taunts, the Tenga charged Tommy full throttle and without thought. Tommy simply took one casual step to the side, allowing the foot soldier to crash beak first into a tall pile of rubble. Tommy snorted. "Amateurs."

Having effectively taken out one Tenga, Tommy leaped into the air to do a summersault and landed with a flying kick into one Tenga who toppled into another standing behind it. "Nice move, Tommy!" Fred congratulated as he ducked a blow from a Tenga of his own before side-kicking it in a counter attack.

The Tengas, apparently rusty from sitting around, eating bon-bons, and watching reruns of Road Rules on one of Rita and Zedd's TV's they'd 'confiscated' as part of their 'severance package' a couple of years earlier, decided that perhaps the best method of taking on two still well-trained opponents was strength in numbers. Recovering from the strong kick from Fred, the Tenga he'd been facing attacked him from the left as another charged him from the right. Now it was Fred's turn to smirk. Tommy hadn't been his only teacher. Waiting until the Tengas were just feet away from him, he soared into the air performing a backflip with the perfect form that Kimberley had coached him to achieving. Years before, she had convinced him that adding some gymnastics to his forms and sparing sessions would only up his edge in karate competitions. He never would have guessed that such skills would help save his life during apocalyptic conditions a few years in the future.

"Haha, good work, Fred! Huh-Cyaaaa!" Tommy returned a congratulatory solute to his current fighting partner as he jumped to double kick two attacking Tengas of his own.

With seven foot soldiers lying on the ground nursing their wounds, and presumably sore muscles from being out of practice for so long, only one Tenga remained. It took a second to stare at its fallen comrades before flashing its eyes at both Tommy and Fred. As Tommy and Fred approached it on either side, readying their fighting stances, the Tenga took one more quick look at both of them before shaking its head, backing up, then flapping its wings to rise into the air. Bitching and moaning from their places of repose on the ground, the rest of the defeated attackers roused themselves to soon followed.

"Yeah, alright!" Tommy high fived Fred in celebration. He had to admit to himself, although he had quite enjoyed life as a civilian when danger didn't lurk in the distance of every moment in his near future, it did feel good to get back in the fight. The adrenaline rush and subsequent feel of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins engendered by a good, hard fight had been something he hadn't realized he'd missed. The natural chemicals coursing through his brain and the emotions they created gave him a bit of an ironic sense of remorse for turning in his morpher so soon. If this last fight had shown him anything, it was that he still had many more good fights with the forces of evil left in him.

While Tommy and Fred were finishing their celebration, they were surprised to see the sight of a blue teleportation stream appear before them. Tommy smiled as he saw TJ, the current Blue Ranger, materialize before them. "TJ," Tommy strode forward to great his younger counter part. Having given his powers off to TJ, Tommy had always had a special connection to the younger man.

"Good to see ya, old man," TJ greeted with a smile of his own plastered on his face.

Tommy snorted and playfully lightly boxed the younger man's ears. "Hey, sonny, you're still young enough for me to place over my knee," he joked.

TJ bobbed and weaved to avoid any more sparing like hits from Tommy. "Well, grandpa, I have to admit, I caught some of that fight there. You've still got some moves."

"And don't you forget that!" Tommy warned with a faux stern look on his face.

Meanwhile, Fred stood in complete confusion behind Tommy at the course this conversation was taking. "Um, Tommy. You know the Blue Space Ranger?" he asked with slight skepticism.

Tommy internally kicked himself for skirting the edge of potentially blowing his cover as a former Ranger. "Yeah, Fred. I knew TJ in high school. We used to run in the same martial arts competition circles." Tommy jerked his head and smiled in a manner meant to show lack of surprise in learning that his old friend had become a Ranger and thus preserve his cover. "I'm really not surprised that be became a Ranger." Tommy reached out to bring Fred to his side for a proper introduction. "Fred, TJ. TJ, Fred. Fred here was a student of mine a few years ago. He graciously offered to help me fight off that attack."

TJ grinned and reached out his hand. "Hey, yeah," he shook Fred's hand. "Nice work, man."

"Wow, a REAL Power Ranger," Fred gushed in awe at meeting one of his childhood heroes. "I never thought I'd be lucky enough to meet one of you guys!" Tommy turned his head and coughed to hide his smirk.

"Hey, Fred. Would you mind heading back to the safe-house to make sure everyone got there safely? I'll catch-up with you in a little while," Tommy promised, weaseling a way to be able to speak with TJ in private.

Fred nodded, still in a slight daze from meeting a 'REAL Power Ranger.' "Sure, Tommy. I'll see you in a little while."

As Fred headed back to the tunnels, Tommy's smile turned to a look of concern. There had to be something wrong for TJ to teleport right out in the open to talk to him. "What's going on, TJ?" He thought back to the sight of the Space Rangers teleporting away in defeat not too long before. "Things aren't going too well, are they?"

TJ sighed and waved his hands out to indicate the property destruction around them. "No, man, they most certainly are not." TJ gave the former leader of the Turbo Rangers a pleading look. "That's why I'm here. We really need your help."

Tommy simply nodded his head in reply. The way things seemed to be going, he had surmised as much.

"As you might have guessed after fighting those Tengas, evil is starting to take-over the Earth. And we're not just dealing with Astronema's forces anymore. Tommy, man," TJ took a step closer to him, "we're not strong enough to take everything on by ourselves." He placed a hand on Tommy's shoulder. "We need you and some of the other former rangers to step-up and take your former powers to help us." TJ waited, staring straight into Tommy's eyes with a pleading face as if he was afraid Tommy would reject his request.

Tommy just nodded his head and smiled. The feeling that he had many more good fights left in him vindicated by the inadvertent agreement of the man he had given his powers to. "Guess I'm coming out of retirement," Tommy answered simply. When he read TJ's face to see that the younger man needed a more concrete answer, he continued. "That means you can count on me, TJ."

The current Blue Ranger smiled in relief. "And what about some of the other Rangers? Are you still in contact with any of them? Do you think they'll help as well?" TJ asked, his consternation for fear of a negative answer returning to his face.

"Actually," Tommy smiled once more and began to lead TJ towards the tunnel to the safe-house. "Just follow me."

As Tommy and TJ made their way through the concrete street level and underground structures that used to symbolize modern society, but which now only signified society's desolation, TJ frowned in shame. These ruins of once tall buildings, these subway tunnels that once transported people to and from these now defunct towering structures, only worked to display his and the other Rangers' failure to save their home town. The only hope they had for redemption now was to vanquish the evil that had caused this and return the city, now the whole world at large, to the hands and control of human forces of righteousness.

"Over here," Tommy directed at the end of their route. They were standing in front of the entrance of what looked like some post-apocalyptic bunker of Terminator lore.

"What do you have to show me, besides the incredibly depressing state of the citizens of Angel Grove," TJ asked, his guilt and shame now coming to a head as he saw the conditions the people of his home city were now forced to live in.

Tommy gave him a half smile as he led him inside. "Hey, guys. I need you for a second."

"What's up, man?" Adam asked simply as he stepped out from behind a family of refugees, Rocky close on his heels.

**Additional Author's Note**: As you can see, the team is starting to shape up. Where's Justin? I don't know. I don't really remember what happened to Justin. If you remember, please tell me. I want to use him, but not in a traditional Ranger capacity. Next Chapter: the return to action of my now all-time favorite Ranger. Sorry Tommy, Kim beat you out when she gut-kicked Kat while evil…And then joined a Canadian SWAT team…hehehe.

**Please leave a review** and let me know your thoughts on this chapter, the fight scene, TJ's remorse, and what the Heck happened to Justin. Your thoughts are always helpful.

Later gators,

Eals


	5. I am a Rock ?

**Author's Note**: Dude, guys, DUDE! So, last week I actually MET JASON DAVID FRANK! It was pretty sweet. And yes, dude's hotter in person than on television. Also, he's so great with kids, it makes you smile…Any..ho, 'cause yes I AM the ho who STILL has a crush on a guy 19 years later…ummm…thanks to all who have been reading, REVIEWING, and following this here little piece. **Thanks especially to those who answered my Justin question**. Ya'all are precious : D

I don't own or have rights to Power Rangers or Simon and Garfunkel (*chuckles at **YoungAtHeart21**) songs.

In The Absence of Destruction

Chapter 4: I am A Rock (?)

**Outside some amorphous Gymnastics Studio in Florida**

Kim sighed to herself as she saw her _oh so familiar_, and she had thought, former enemies, materialize in front of her. _The Z's_, she thought, _at least it was the ones with the Z's_.

As she primed herself, girding her guts and steeling her nerves, she looked around herself to notice that three members of her training team were still there.

She frowned to herself. This could not be good in any aspect of the word. Civilians could be hurt and/or they could realize the power she held, or at least, had once held.

No, wait, they wouldn't know her power if she just fought like she had done so many times before. Surely she had mentioned on at least one occasion to the girls at the training center that she knew a little about martial arts.

But there was still the problem the of the safety of her teammates around her. Although they were trained and brave gymnasts, they were not trained martial artists, or former Power Rangers…

"Guys, run back to the gym and call 911!" Kim shouted to her teammates, guiding them in a force of action, even if that force of action would do no good. Kim knew by personal experience that the cops had no way of knowing how to deal with evil of this kind.

Her three team mates collectively snorted all on their own accord. "What, you think you can take all these Puddies, Shorty?" one of them challenged.

Kimberly half smiled, snorted herself, raised an eyebrow and smirked at her teammate's brazen question. "You guys are all exactly half an inch taller than me; there's hardly any call to tell me I'M short."

Her smile widened at the returning smirks her teammates fed her. She shook her head and gave a challenging, yet encouraging smile. "Alright, guys. Just aim for the Z and you'll be good." Her facial expressions darkened in an instant as she took her fight ready stance. "But if it gets too much for you, get the Hell out of here as fast as you can. Got it?" she asked with a stern look. When her teammates blanched and nodded at her words, she smiled back at them once more. "Alright, let's show 'em what we got!" she shouted as both an act of encouragement and battle cry.

So as to punctuate her words, Kim initiated a cart-wheel, summersault combination that landed her directly in front of a Puddy instead of right on it as she had been accustomed to in her Ranger days. She frowned to herself momentarily. She shrugged, figured she was just out of practice with her timing for such things, and punched the stunned-to-have-a-lady-just-happen-to-land-before-him Puddy in the Z; the Puddy looked down at itself in shook before jerking its head and exploding.

Kim smiled and laughed to herself at the effect her somewhat latent abilities still had on her enemies. Her smile was augmented by the thought of how much she realized how thoroughly she really DID enjoy kicking evil's ass. "Gotta love it," she murmured through her smiling lips.

With the new-found joy she felt, Kim immediately back-flipped with a loud, "Huuahhhh!" as she connected her landing leg with another Z.

She looked around herself to check the progress of her teammates. Candice, her mentor in technique, was gracefully flipping and turning, seeming to perform some kind of floor routine for the mesmerized Puddy in front of her; its head moved in concert with her mad dance before she landed in front of it and simply poked her finger into the Puddy's sweet spot. The stunned predator merely flinched before widening its eyes and exploding into the air. Candice laughed with joy.

To Candice's left, Kim spotted Jordan, a training partner of hers in the un-even bars. The girl had taken hold of an over-arching bar that was always used to hold banners of announcements and celebrations and was flipping over and over it with a gathering momentum until she let go and hit the Puddy in front of her with a kick right in the center of its target.

Kim smiled to herself as she remembered using the same technique on a play set on a Puddy in her own time under the protection of the power.

As she placed her gymnastics skills on hold and began to simply spare with two Puddies at once, Kim caught sight on her last, and youngest teammate. The 15 year old she had become a mentor to, and had thus always had a protective nature towards, Shannon, did a backwards cartwheel and landed in a hand stand.

Kim grinned as she jumped into a split that allowed her to connect with both of her opponents' Z's, disintegrating them, while she simultaneously watched Shannon split her legs in her handstand before snapping them together and using the momentum to flip her legs right in to the named target of her opponent.

Gratified by the success of her impromptu team, Kim back-flipped into a line created by the three other girls. As she stood in front of her nascent fighting partners whom she had come to love in the year plus she had known them, she held her arms up in a resting, yet ready fighting stance.

"Wow, Kim," Jordan chuckled. "You're seriously SERIOUS about this crap!"

After scanning the sky and surrounding area for more evil doers out of habit, Kimberly turned to her friends and grinned. "Grew up in The Grove, ya know. Nothing link The Hills." She smirked. "Where that part of California is taught to always remember sun-screen, we were always taught to remember the bad-ass within and how to deal when we caught some evil instead of sun."

Candice shook her head. "I always figured you were more bad-ass than you seemed, Kim. I just never figured you were a Power Ranger," Kim slightly blanched at these words, "but I guess you'd have to learn to be like one to come from where you come from."

Kimberly smiled at her friend's logic. "Exactly. Seriously, not kidding guys, our Youth Center gave almost mandatory classes on martial arts once Rita showed her ugly face. It got to the point where you had to walk through a self-defense class with my friend Jason before you could get a water, after a while!" she faux joked. If only they knew…

After genuinely smiling at the thought of her old, and she had always thought until recent times, good friend Jason along with the others, a frown returned to her face. They didn't trust her anymore, she was sure of it. For some reason, her friends had ignored her, perhaps seen something more sinister than ever in her when she was turned evil by Maligore. Part of her thought how this was completely hypocritical, while another warned that she didn't know WHAT she might have actually done while evil.

Her training friends failed to catch her change in demeanor as it was soon replaced with the shock of seeing a pink beam of light materialize before them.

Kim narrowed her eyes and shook her head slightly; these new guys really didn't get it. If she or any of the others had pulled a stunt like this, Zordon would verbally kick their asses…

"Umm, welcome," Kim mustered a response to the Ranger in her lineage she recognized as the current Pink Ranger, Cassie. She raised her eyebrows at Cassie, in front of her current teammates, thus out of their line of sight. _WTF!_ she communicated with her facial expressions.

"Kimberly," Cassie began, attempting to cover herself. She silently chided herself for forgetting the whole secrete identity thing in front of her original predecessor. "Don't get paranoid or anything," Cassie began her cover while trying her hardest not to bite her lip in thought of some logical plan of action. "I know who you are based on some status reports we got on dangerous activity on the Megaship."

In place of the facepalm she felt like giving, Kim scrunched her visage into a 'what the Hell is wrong with you!' face that only Cassie could see. When Cassie slightly shrugged in shame and wonder, Kim raised the corners of her lips and eyebrow as if to smile, but held a sarcastic set in her eyes. She shook her head quickly and minutely as if to goad Cassie on.

"Dahhumm," Cassie began. Kim actually did facepalm at this.

'_Secrete Identity_,' she mouthed between two spread fingers before she rearranged her features and turned her head to her gymnastics teammates to feed them an 'aw, shucks, The Power Rangers(!)' look. She was infinitely relieved when they bought it and nodded in awe and surprise.

Cassie began to try to think on her feet for a reason as to why she would need to talk to just one of these nascent soldiers, then smiled at the thought. "It's not safe here."

Kim cast her mouth and eyebrows down in reply as only Cassie could see her 'No sh&$ Sherlock' look. She resisted raising her hand for another facepalm for fear she couldn't play this one off when Cassie continued.

The Space Ranger visibly gulped before she began again….Kim's eyes soared to the sky….

"You girls," she pointed to Candice, Jordan, and Shannon, "head to the safety of your homes. I'll talk to Kimberly to get her take on this fight and then escort her to safety too." Kim nodded slightly in approval of this plan thus far, and so Cassie had the courage to give a full back-story. "Angel Grove isn't doing so well, so I'm gonna try to reunite Kim with her close friends."

Kim sighed internally in relief that Cassie had remembered that only her 'friends' were in Angel Grove, as most of her 'family' was now residing in Paris.

"Thanks for the help, girls," Kimberly smiled to her gymnastics friends. "I'll give you a call in a little while to let you know I'm okay," she promised as she hugged all three girls. "Give my love to the rest of the team!" she voiced with enthusiasm that she just didn't feel. Sure, she loved Angel Grove and the friends she had there, but they no longer seemed like the family she had forged here in Florida, family that didn't know about her 'dark' Ranger past. Family that didn't know what happened to her under the force of a dark spell.

As her training partners retreated to their cars behind her, Kim stared at Cassie with a look of foreboding. She had a feeling not all Cassie had to reveal to her would send her skipping through the daisies singing Simon and Garfunkel's 'I am a Rock.'

**Author's Additional Note: **So, the whole thing at the end there about skipping through the daisies to S&G songs came from a convo I had with **YoungAtHeart21** about another one of my stories. She said she hoped that one of the characters would be okay, and of course I responded with a wise-ass comment that she shouldn't worry because he was, "dancing through the daisies singing Simon and Garfunkel's 'I am a Rock.'" We then proceeded to have an hour long conversation about how we could make this happen and or, how funny it would be (which I will tell in an abridged version in the next AN of Glasgow; sorry I missed it last time, **C**, fried brain cells and all..." ; )

Anyway, **please leave a review** and let me know what you thought of this chapter. As you can see, Kim is a little bit darker due to perceived events and such. Me: *Evil grin*

Happy Olympics,

Eals


	6. True Calling

**Author's Note: **Oh, goodness, I'M SORRY! (Especially to **BellaVision**; yeah, totally wasn't the "short time" or whatever I had promised). I've wanted to update this story, but I had a bit of writer's block with it. There are distinct places I want to go, but it's difficult with all of the logistics of a story of this span to get there. Anyho, I was trying to continue the Jules, I mean Kim scene when Jules kept breaking through (sorry, Kim!), so I decided to go to, duhh, the scene I needed to address and wanted to write anyway to get my mojo going again. Hope you enjoy. And thanks to all who've read, reviewed, followed, favorited, and remained faithful to this story in my neglectful absence of actually writing it.

I don't own or have rights to Flashpoi—(see, I literally just wrote that without even thinking…) Power Rangers.

In The Absence of Destruction

Chapter 5: True Calling

**The Dark Fortress**

Light that seemed too bright, too sharp, too clear, as if reflected off the pure surface of a diamond, stabbed Karone's eyes as she opened her lids. It felt to her as if she had been sleeping or maybe captured in some odd form of a coma for an eternity.

While she blinked and attempted to get some form of her bearings, she heard a deep voice command her to, "Open your eyes and awaken, Karone."

At the sound of this deep, authoritative tone, she jumped to her feet and curled up into a crouching fettle position as if she was attempting to protect herself from not only the too bright and vibrant light that was assaulting her senses, but the unfamiliar being beckoning her. As far as she knew, she was just a simple young woman with a sometimes domineering, but still loveable big brother (_by five minutes_, she scoffed to herself at the thought). She was unaware of ever having the need for or even simple proximity to such a strong and commanding presence.

"Do not be afraid, Karone," the voice broke through the barrier of her own thoughts and the protective covering of her slender arms. "You have been asleep for a long time, and it is time to return to your life of good."

Karone remained in her protective position as she pondered what this voice had just told her. It was true; she did feel as if she had been asleep for a very long time. But, this thought felt so untrue at the same time. For some reason she felt like she had not been asleep for a great period of time, but rather away, as in, away from her self, her actual self, the sense, feeling, cognition of what made her the person she really was.

Closing her eyes hard so as to steal her nerves, Karone stood from where she was crouching, removed her arms from where they had been guarding her head, and opened her eyes to see the physical presence of the voice that was speaking to her.

She gasped at the sight before her. "Aren't you…" she trailed off in her wonder.

"Yes, I am Zordon of Eltar, trapped in a time warp for my 'sin' of protecting the innocent. Many refer to me as the leader of the Power Rangers, but I prefer to think of myself more as a mentor," a head floating in a giant tube answered her with humility.

She was not alarmed by this sight. Her brother, Andros, had told her about this mystical and seemingly timeless being. He was a legend and all but synonymous with the word 'good.'

"You'll protect me then," she reasoned out loud. "You'll protect me and help me get back to my brother and Zhane, won't you?"

Zordon seemed to sigh. "I will, Karone. But it will take some time."

A look of confusion and incredulousness rose to Karone's face. "But why?! Aren't you committed to good and taking care of defenseless beings?!"

"My dear Karone," Zordon sighed once more. "If only it were that simple. I'm afraid you are needed for a mission very important to the people of the Milky Way Galaxy and beyond." At the look of fear on Karone's face, Zordon paused to smile down at her. "And I assure you, you are in no way helpless."

Karone looked even more confused at this assurance. Surely the giant floating head of a mystical being was off his rocker. Maybe he'd been drinking a few too many of the energy waves' cocktail that kept him sentient and alive.

While she thought this, she approached his energy tube. In so doing, she caught the first look of her reflection in what she now KNEW had to be a very long time. "Oh my, GAhh—" she almost shrieked. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY HAIR!" While she brought her hands up to examine her tortured locks, her eyes grew wide at what she was wearing. "I LOOK LIKE I RAIDED AN EVIL, SCANDULOUS VILIAN'S LAIR!"

At her words, words more mature then ones she was sure she'd ever been able to use when she'd last been her true self, she shuddered, placed a hand upon the reflected visage of a person she somehow felt familiar with, and returned to her previous confusion. "I'm, I'm," she began, but could not find the will or coherence to finish.

"Yes, Karone," Zordon began in a fatherly tone so as to comfort her, but still inform her of the facts she was entitled to, "You are now an adult. It has been a very long time since you were your true, innocent self."

And at these words, it all came back to her. All the destruction and pain she'd inflicted as the evil villainess, Astronema. She cowered, began to hyperventilate and beat her head at the thought.

"No, no, no, no, No, No, NOOOO!" she shouted, her voice resonating throughout the Dark Fortress she now remembered to be her domain. "No," she said once more, this time as a whimper. "No, I couldn't do that to Andros, and, oh God," another thought occurred to her and her face filled with evident pain. "Zhane…" she said his name as if it was both a question and a prayer.

Zordon seemed to be nodding his head in accordance with her realization. "Yes, Karone. Before I awakened you, you had spent years being trained in maliciousness and becoming the dark leader known as Astronema."

Karone's face fell farther than it ever had in her life at these words as tears began to fall from her newly awakened (but apparently not so) eyes. "No," she whispered.

Seeing her broken and defeated demeanor, Zordon took pity on the young woman, more pity than he'd ever planned to have taken. "You are Karone," he said in a voice that best mimicked a whisper. "You are a force of good that evil could not ever extinguish."

These words were small comfort to Karone. Her mind was filled with memories of all of the evil she had inflicted on her brother, his friends, threatened to inflict on Zhane.

Seeing her continue to be tormented by the evil she had engendered and inflicted in the past, Zordon remembered what Earthlings and those from KO-35 were so commonly endowed with: the ability to love, and feel both the ecstasy and pain of that emotion.

"Andros, your brother, and Zhane, your love, are well, Karone," he assured her. "You did not harm them while you were lost in a brain that the Earthlings would label 'washed.' But they may not be well shortly if events continue to transpire in the direction in which they seem to be going."

Karone narrowed her eyes in wonder at Zordon's choice of words, before she caught and thought about the revelation he had just made about Andros and Zhane's wellbeing. She raised stern and confident eyes to the floating head. "Zordon," she commanded. "Cut the cryptic, please," she made sure to add 'please' so as to remain polite even in her eager state, "and tell me what you really mean to tell me, please," she added, redundantly, for good measure.

Zordon nodded his head. "Although you did not wish to be brainwashed and become the villainess of evil that you were forced to become," Karone's face fell again at this reminder, "this past only serves to give you a trait similar to that of Power Rangers before you."

Karone raised skeptical eyes at Zordon. She couldn't imagine what trait being evil and inflicting pain on those she loved she could ever share with past Rangers.

"Atonement," Zordon answered her confused look.

"Atonement?" she questioned, even more confused than before.

Zordon nodded in the affirmative. "Souls of pure good have been turned evil before you, Karone," he informed as if it was a promise. "Most notable of this group are Tommy Oliver, the former Evil Green Ranger, and Katherine Hillard, Rita's evil shape-shifter." Karone gave Zordon a look of hope and wonder. "As it is well known, Tommy went on to serve and eventually lead the Power Rangers, while Katherine was found worthy enough to replace the first Pink Ranger of modern times, and the only Pink Ranger to ever hold the first Lieutenant position on the Rangers, Kimberly Hart. Evil did not claim either of their souls for long, because their souls were too full of innate goodness to ever be fully turned villainous, Karone," Zordon smiled down at her for a beat to let these words sink in before revealing their full relevance to her. "Just as your soul is full of such goodness, and thus, evil could not fully claim it either."

Karone was confused again, so Zordon continued his exposition. "You fought through the evil you had been taught was right to fall in love with the pure soul of Zhane," he reminded her. "This is evidence that you hold the same potential to become a legendary force of good just like Tommy and Katherine."

Karone smiled at Zordon's words of confidence. "But how will I be able to help?" she questioned with renewed confusion.

Zordon held his gaze as steady as he could on Karone. "You have assumed the role of Astronema for a very long time. You will help the Power Rangers destroy the forces of darkness that are now teaming up to attempt to take over or destroy Earth by remaining so."

Karone looked like she wanted to spit at this idea. "No," she said softly, but emphatically.

"Yes," Zordon responded. "You will be Astronema, but only as a thespian will be Hamlet in a production on the stage."

Karone thought about these words as her face contorted in disbelief and incomprehension. She still wasn't sure what Zordon meant.

"Karone," Zordon began again as if he was talking to a small child, which perhaps he was, considering how young Karone had been when she was kidnapped. "You will be Astronema, but only as a spy. You will gather information about what the alliance of forces of darkness plan to do, and you will thwart their attempts at destruction from the inside."

Karone looked up at Zordon in wonder once more. "You want me to be your double agent, an advocate from the inside?" Again she was slightly flustered by the vocabulary she had attained while being the dark person known as Astronema.

"That is correct, Karone," Zordon answered.

Karone frowned for a moment. "But, can I tell Andros, and Zhane? There's so much I—"

"No," Zordon cut her off. "For the time being, you must keep your identity as a force of goodness a secret." At the sight of her crestfallen appearance, Zordon continued. "But do not fret, young one. A time will come in the near future when you may let your true identity be known."

Karone lifted her head and smiled at this promise. "I'll do it," she promised. "I'll do it to atone for what I have done in the past and to help my brother and Zhane and all their friends and the people of Earth. I'll do it because I always dreamed of doing so and think maybe I was meant to do so."

"Yes, Karone," Zordon smiled. "Yes, in any form, you were always meant to be a Power Ranger."

**Additional Author's Note:** Oh, so excited for the places this may go : ) Hope you enjoyed reading. Kim, Tommy, Adam, Rocky, "and the REST" (sorry, old Gilligan's Island re-runs reference), will be sorted out next : ).

**Please leave a review** and let me know what you think of this chapter and story. Also, what's up with Alpha? Is 5 still around? Six was annoying as Hell and I don't think he was on the Megaship, so, someone please let me know what happened to them, because I really want 5 back in this story for my mid-twenties nostalgia.

Peace, Love, and Autumn Weather,

Eals


	7. News from The Underground

**Author's Note: **Hey, all! Thanks to everyone one who read, reviewed, favorited, and has been following this story. So, mojo returned, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!

I don't own or have rights to Power Rangers, Monday Night Football, or Aptiva. If you don't know what the Aptiva computer was….*shakes head*…you must have watched the MMPR re-boot…Not that there's anything wrong with that! Original MMPR fans are just old now *shrugs with the rest of the 20 somethings who watched MMPR in the early and mid-90's*

In The Absence of Destruction

Chapter 6: News from The Underground

**The "Angel Grove Underground"**

Tommy found himself chuckling softly as he watched a smile etch across TJ's face at the sight of the former Rangers. Tommy couldn't help but laugh at, even in these dire times of struggle, the utter adorable surprised reaction of the younger man. It was obvious he and the other Space Rangers held their predecessors on a pedestal of greatness. He stopped snickering and narrowed his eyes; he only hoped he and the other former Rangers could live up to this high esteem awarded to them.

Tommy stepped forward and high fived/clasped hands with Adam. "Adam," he said before performing the same action with the former Red and Blue Ranger behind Adam, "Rocky. You both remember TJ, I'm sure?" He punctuated his question with a smile as he looked back at the current Blue Ranger.

"Yeah, sure," Rocky stepped up to shake hands with the Ranger in his lineage. Although it was true that Rocky did not have any direct Ranger contact with TJ, he still knew him from life at Angel Grove High. He'd always thought the kid had potential whenever he saw him at the Dojo.

"Yeah, good to see you," Adam greeted in a similar action as his long-time best friend.

"Cool, guys," TJ began, unable to keep the grin off his face. As if catching himself, his smile dropped and once more took in his surroundings and remembered the purpose of his visit. "Is a," he hesitated and lowered his voice as he took in the crush of humanity surrounding them. "Is there some place we could talk in private?"

Adam simply glanced at Tommy and nodded his head firmly once. "Follow me," he commanded.

The three former, and one current, Rangers continued farther into the catacomb like structures that made-up the safe-house, their current home. After only a minute of walking through the tunnels and crowds of survivors that now made-up the entirety of Angel Grove's society, they came to a stop in front of a large metal door. It looked like it had once been a door to some sort of control room in the subway system. Adam brought up a common enough key-card and swiped it in front of the security pad next to the door. As the entrance opened, Adam smiled wryly and stepped inside with the others. "Welcome to the 'Command Center' of the Angel Grove Underground."

As TJ stepped inside, he immediately knew Adam had been being sardonic when he'd likened the place to the Command Center they had all once been familiar with. With the exception of a flat-screen television set, a few desktop computers, and a revolving security camera feed screen, there really wasn't much in the way of technology in this small, bathroom sized place. Surely, it was nothing compared to the giant super computers they'd all been accustomed to in their old Command Center and Power Chamber.

Tommy took in TJ's slightly, yet fairly well hidden, dejected look. "I know it's not much," he pressed a power switch to turn on the computers, "but it does the job."

"Well," TJ chuckled a little when he saw the flat screen TV. They really weren't all that common in this time period of the late 90's. "I've gotta admit, THAT'S some pretty sweet tech."

Rocky simply frowned. "Yeah, not as sweet as you would think," he said under his breath.

Tommy laughed. "Don't listen to him, TJ. He's just mad that that screen serves a special purpose, and that he can't watch Monday Night Football on it."

Tommy caught the look of confusion on TJ's face. It was obvious he was wondering what the 'special purpose' that screen actually held.

"So, TJ," Adam brought the entire group back to the reason they had retreated to this secure lair. "What was it you wanted to talk to us about?"

TJ's face grew stern and serious as he glanced at Tommy, seeming to be looking for permission to lead the meeting. Catching Tommy's nod in approval, he began.

"As you guys probably know," he paused to scoff darkly, "the forces of darkness are more powerful than ever." This time he had to pause before continuing to allow Rocky and Adam to feed him 'no, REALLY?' sarcastic looks and eye rolls. "And they're only gonna get stronger." At the looks of concern and consternation on Rocky and Adam's faces, he elaborated. "They're starting to team-up. We're not just talking about Asronema and Dark Specter any more, we're talk'n Divatox, Rita and Zed; our sources even say The Machine Empire and Master Vile might be getting involved too."

Tommy blanched at this intelligence. TJ had not gone so far as to inform him of the extent of the challenge they were up against in their initial solo meeting.

"We can't do it on our own anymore. Can't protect the Earth or her allies alone anymore," TJ continued with a slightly dejected tone. "The fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, and we're not strong enough to protect it."

Adam's face was lined with evident disgust. "So what, you came here to tell us you're giving up?!"

As TJ prepared himself to go on the defensive, Tommy stepped forward like the leader he was always remembered for being, the leader he hoped he still had the capacity to be. "No, Adam, no." He stepped between the two young men to make sure no impulsive and violent action took place. "No, man. The Turbo Powers still exist. TJ came here to recruit us back into action."

At these words, Adam immediately became his calm, and joyful self as a smile rose to his face. Rocky almost mirrored his actions before he realized the significance of this proposed plan. "Right," he began, "The Turbo Powers. That means we need to get in contact with Justin." He said these words with as much of a business-like attitude he could muster while trying to hide the frown from his voice. "Lucky for you, TJ," he smiled in true joy as he stepped from his place in front of the flat screen on the wall, "we have just the method to contact him." He flipped on the screen and initiated some complicated keyboard commands from a small console in front of the machine.

As the screen shot to life, Rocky began to speak into an old Aptiva speech device. "Justin, come in. This is the Blue network, so you better get online, buddy." He smiled to the rest of the group.

While Adam and Tommy smiled back at him, TJ simply looked confused. Tommy stepped forward to enlighten him. "This is just a handy little communication device Justin invented for us last year. We can have video conferences with him wherever he is as long as he has his laptop with him." Tommy smiled in pride of his young protégé, whom he'd been a bit of a protégé to in certain academic environments in return. "He even worked with Billy through the," Tommy paused to bring his hands up to signal air-quotes, "'Blue Network,'" both Adam and Tommy chuckled at this thought, "to talk with Billy on Aquitar. It doesn't allow for the video conference feature, but it's still a handy telephone system we can use to keep in touch with him."

TJ smiled at the sheer genius and coolness of what his former colleague had managed to do. But then, his smile failed him. "Hey! Wait! How come I never heard of this 'Blue Network'?! I freak'n worked with Justin for half a year!"

"Chill man," Rocky advised as he placed a hand on TJ's arm. "It's mostly the 'Blue Geek' thing. You and I are both true Reds, after all," Adam and Tommy scoffed at this, "we don't really fit into the whole 'nerdy Blue' stereotype."

"Stereotype?!" TJ shouted with indignity, "There are only four of us!"

Before this argument could go any further, Justin appeared on the screen before them. "Read you, Rocko," he said to what seemed to be a place on his arm.

Rocky did a double take. "Um, Justin. Where's your laptop?"

Justin, now looking much more mature in his mid-teens, smirked at his older counterpart. "Come on, Rocky. That was such a simplistic design." He frowned to himself as if disgusted with the thought of his 'young naiveté'. "And bulky. I reconfigured the system to work through my communicator. Now I can have conversations with you anywhere and at any time." He took a beat to chuckle to himself. "And it is oh so sweet to be able to see you guys in forms significantly smaller than me for a change." He waited for the older Rangers to give their halfhearted and sardonic 'ha-ha-ha's' before he continued. "Sorry it took me so long to answer though. I had to break out of my class on quantum mechanics." He looked like he wanted to spit for a second. "Man, the Prof. of that class is a real—"

"Justin," Tommy cut in before he could go too far. "We're contacting you because we could use your help. The forces of darkness are teaming up to do us some real damage, and the Space Rangers have asked us to return to the ranks to help them out." Tommy gave Justin a firm, authoritative, and confident nod. "It's time to reassemble the Turbo Rangers."

Rather than being ecstatic and gung-ho about this whole proposition, Justin simply nodded his head, but frowned. "That's a great idea and all, and I support you guys 100 percent, but," he paused to shake his head. "I don't think I'm ready to go back," he admitted with a slight look of apology.

"Sure, I want to be a Ranger," he continued in response to the looks of confusion on the older Rangers' faces. "But, now isn't the time. I want to finish school and be fully grown before I wear the colors again."

The other Rangers' faces fell at this revelation, but Justin pressed on. "They weren't my Powers to begin with." He shot his eyes to the right to address Rocky directly. "Rocky, they were supposed to be yours. I think you should use the power in my absence, ya know, on LOAN until I'm ready to reclaim them." He made sure to emphasize the temporary nature of this deal, but still smiled at the older Ranger.

Rocky smiled his first true smile since this entire meeting with TJ had begun. "You got it, man. I'll make you proud and give 'em back to you when you're ready to return."

"Great," Justin responded with a confident smile. "But, Rocky?" he began to question with a look of dread. "Just…Don't scratch my car…PLEASE, man. REALLY."

Rocky, Adam, Tommy, and TJ all laughed at this request. Tommy knew only half of it was a joke; Justin REALLY DID love his Mountain Blaster.

Rocky simply returned a straight, serious nod. Tommy understood. No many ever messed with another man's car.

Justin broke the semi-serious moment by bringing full candor to it. "And, guys," he looked at them with sternness. "I AM here for you, though. No matter what you need. Fighting off these guys won't be easy, and you might need some extra support."

Tommy returned his stern look and nodded. "Yeah, thanks, Justin."

Justin remained serious as he continued. "I don't know how far along you all are in assembling a team, but I've been working on a project with Billy's help that will certainly give us the edge. Just send me a message when you have everyone together. Everything should be set by then," he promised cryptically.

"Sure, Justin," Adam assured. "It was great talking to you, even give the circumstance." He looked around himself at the tiny 'Command Center' he was in and the disheveled appearance of his companions.

"Always," Justin smiled out as a sign-off.

As the screen went black, TJ blew-out a visible sigh of relief. "Well, at least we've got Red, Blue, and Green nailed down."

Tommy nodded at this information, but then a thought occurred to him. That left Yellow and Pink unaccounted for. He assumed, given the fact that Tanya was back serving her community in Africa, that Aisha would take some time off from college to re-join the team. He shrugged at the thought that she probably wouldn't have any choice in the 'taking time off' department. The University of California-Angle Grove where she was studying biology as a precursor to veterinarian school had been closed for weeks now.

His thoughts then turned in a direction they always tended to turn for some reason or another. Pink. He'd always found strength in Pink, for the team, and for himself…

Sure, he and Kat had dated for a while, but he knew neither of them had ever felt anything real. They'd just been two kids out to have a good time. When Katherine had told him she was moving to England to begin dance school, he'd offered his congratulations and well wishes even as he and she had both known it was the clear end of their relationship. He still stayed in touch with her and counted her as a dear friend, but he knew they still would never go anywhere.

They could never go anywhere because of Pink. Pink as Katherine had never been to him, but only Kimberly could be…

He still didn't understand their break-up. He truly didn't know if Kim even understood their break-up. All he knew was that he wasn't by her side like he should, nor was she beside his as she should be either. All he still knew and understood was that he loved her. Loves her. Always would love her…

Forcing his mind away from the thought of Pink as his ex-girlfriends, he began to think of Pink as the Power it held. He would never admit it to Katherine, but in terms of who would be a better, more powerful, experienced, and stronger choice for a Pink Ranger, Kimberly would always be the best choice. Even in relation to Ashley, the Pink Space Ranger, Kimberly would be a better choice. There was so much strength of will, leadership, tenacity, and field intelligence in Kim that he knew no other Pink Ranger would surpass her, could surpass her as a Ranger. At least not to him.

And so, even though he was still confused about his personal feelings towards Kimberly Ann Hart, he knew she was the best person for the job of Pink Ranger in this time of Earth's need. He knew that if he got to pick a second in command, it would probably be her once more.

And so, with the newly re-christened Green and Blue, and current Blue, Rangers standing before him, completely oblivious to his thoughts, he hoped that the Pink Ranger they would have by their side would end-up being Kim.

And, in a little part of him, a part so deep he'd never allowed it to see the light of day in the past two and a half years, he wished that if Kim was called to be the next Pink Ranger, that maybe they could talk, reconcile. He wished that maybe they could get back to where he believed they were meant to be.

**Additional Author's Note: **K, so I thought I'd get back to Kim and possibly stuff on the Megaship this chapter, but I tend to be a big-mouth. Also, Tommy loves Kim and thinks too much. Blame him. *chuckles at own joke; crickets chirp throughout the twilight-lit sky*. Anyho, the team should be full soon. Don't worry Justin fans, he'll have a part in this fic too : )

**Please leave a review** and let me know what you thought of this chapter and how things are shaping up. I always love to hear your thoughts!

Peace,

Eals


	8. Guilt and All His Friends

**Author's Note: **Hey, guys! Back pretty soon, because I keep realizing there are little bits I need to take care of before the real action can take place. Thanks to everyone who has been reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting this story. Feedback always makes me want to continue writing : )

I don't own or have rights to Power Rangers.

In The Absence of Destruction

Chapter 7: Guilt and All His Friends

**The Megaship**

Ashley waited anxiously as the computer finished its scan on Andros. Although she was fairly certain he did in fact have a concussion, she still hoped that it wasn't serious.

"Diagnostic complete," the DECA informed. "Prognosis, mild concussion. Suggested treatment, rest with frequent interruptions if fallen asleep."

Ashley breathed out a sigh of relief. Well, at least the computer didn't tell them Andros was in danger of going into a coma any time soon. She figured he could use some rest anyway given the fact that he really hadn't had much down time since this entire epic assault had begun.

"That's good news, Andros," Ashley soothed. Andros just remained silent, but nodded his head a fraction in reply. Ashley knew that action had hurt him in some way, because she caught the slight wince at the edge of his eye when he performed this small motion. His head crushed the pillow it was lying on in a manner that seemed as if he was attempting to somehow push the pounding head ache his best friend had given him away.

"Here," Ashley stepped closer to the cot he was lying on and handed him two small capsules. "Take these. Aspirin will help with the head ache."

Andros took the pills and the bottle of water Ashley handed him to chase them with without a word.

"Can I get you anything else?" Ashley asked cheerfully. She could tell by his silence and stoic expression that he was feeling a pain that was deeper than the physical head ache the concussion had caused him. She hoped to alleviate some of that pain with her soft, simple words, hoped to show him that no matter what Zhane said or what had happened on the Dark Fortress that she still loved him and believed he was a good man.

"No," Andros responded curtly. But seeming to catch the look of hurt on Ashley's face at his brusque response, he quickly added, "Thanks, Ashley."

Ashley nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. She didn't want to pry, especially in Andros's weakened state, but she felt she had to make sure he was alright.

"Is everything, well," Ashley paused to chuckle at herself for a moment, "except for the pounding head ache you've got to have." She had hoped this moment of mirth would bring at least a bit of a grin to Andros's face, but as he remained stoic, she simply decided to continue. "Is everything okay, Andros?"

Andros remained silent for a beat before turning his head away from Ashley, a look of dejection lining his face. "He's right, you know. I killed my sister."

Ashley felt a wave of defensive anger at Andros's words of self-blame and implied self-hatred and stepped back to his cot. She took his face between her two hands, forcing him to look at her straight in the eye. "No, Andros, no. You don't get to do that. You don't get to take the world on your shoulders and take the blame for everything the forces of evil have done. You don't get to apologize for defending yourself and NOT DYING," she told him firmly, pleading with him with her eyes for him to see things from her point of view and stop beating himself up. He had to know none of this was his fault.

Andros shook his head out of her grasp, the motion causing an evident throbbing head ache to radiate down his entire body. "There could have been another way," he said softly to the wall opposite Ashley. "There's always another way."

"Not always," Ashley answered just as softly.

As Andros continued to stare away from her, she decided there was nothing she could say to convince him of the logic of her point, no way to convince him that there was no way he could have saved Karone, that she was lost to Astronema long before he had stepped foot on the Dark Fortress. Thus, she simply decided she would allow him to sit with his own thoughts for the time being. Maybe he just needed some time alone to get over the facts of what had happened in his last battle.

"I'm gonna try to get in contact with Tanya now," she informed him in a gentle tone. "Just try to get some rest. I'll be in to wake you every so often to make sure nothing too serious is happening. Call me if you need anything."

Andros simply nodded his head slightly in reply.

With a sigh, Ashley turned and left the infirmary.

She hoped Andros and Zhane would both be able to move past the loss of Karone. With the challenges they were now facing from the combined forces of darkness, the world would need them both if they were to have any hope of being victorious in this, their most difficult fight yet.

XXXXX

Still reeling a bit from Andros's dejected words and expressed guilt, Ashley returned to the bridge of the Megaship, finding it now only occupied by Carlos. He appeared to be monitoring the activity of their enemies throughout the world on several viewing screens. Ashley could see a look of disgust lining his face; she knew he, like the other Rangers, wasn't taking this forced sidelining very well.

"There've been attacks in both Angel Grove and Florida now," he said to Ashley without turning his attention away from the screens. He scoffed darkly before continuing. "Looks like they're assembling for another strike all up and down California. There's even some strange activity on the moon." He finally tore his eyes off the destruction in front of him and turned to look at Ashley. "How's Andros?" he asked, completely changing the subject.

Ashley sighed. She was sure he meant how he was physically, not emotionally or psychologically. She decided to leave out any revelations about how he seemed to be thinking and feeling. "He's alright, actually. Just a minor concussion. He's resting right now."

Ashley wanted to ask Carlos if he'd seen Zhane and how he was fairing, but decided against it. She knew he, like Andros, just needed some time alone to gather his thoughts and emotions.

"Did you find Tanya yet?" she asked, completely changing the subject herself.

Carlos shook his head. "Not yet. You want to make the call when we do?" he offered.

Being the direct decedent of the former Yellow Ranger, Ashley figured Carlos would be more comfortable with her making the call, so she simply nodded her head.

As if the computer was just waiting for her arrival, a buzzer went off and a map zoomed into a small city in Africa appeared on one of the screens indicating that Tanya had been found.

"Speak of the Devil," Carlos said under his breath with a smile and stood-up to allow Ashley to take the seat in front of the communication device.

"Thanks, Carlos," Ashley said simply as she pushed a series of buttons to open contact with Tanya.

"Tanya. Tanya, do you read me?" she questioned.

The computer system that not only tracked down Tanya, but enabled her communicator to work over such a long distance came to life. "I read you." There was a pause on Tanya's side of the line. "Ashley, is that you?"

Ashley couldn't help but smile at the sound of her predecessor's voice. "Yep. I wish I was calling you under better circumstances, but as you might have guessed, we're in some trouble right now."

Tanya sighed. "Yeah. I've pretty much been helping establish DEFCON 1 here." She paused for a moment seeming to think out her words. "Whatever that is…" she trailed off for a moment. "Basically I'm just helping the town council create a defensive strategy in case we need it."

Ashley smiled a bit to herself. She should have guessed a former Ranger like Tanya would be spending her time helping prepare her city for any potential threats from the forces of darkness. She then frowned slightly. She also knew this meant Tanya would be less likely to return to the Rangers. Protecting her community would inevitably be her top priority.

"Yeah, things are getting pretty dire," Ashley responded. "So dire that we know we won't have a fighting chance against all the evil forces alone. That's why we're recruiting former Rangers to take the Turbo Powers to help us."

Tanya sighed. It was obvious she knew where this conversation was going. "That sounds like a great idea, but…" she sighed again. "I'm afraid I can't help you on that front, Ashley. I'm needed here. I need to make sure my people are protected and prepared for any potential attacks….I'm sorry…"

"No, no," Ashley jumped in before Tanya could start experiencing some of the guilt Andros was now suffering from. "I completely understand. You need to stay there and take care of your people. Your priorities are in the right place, trust me."

Tanya breathed out an evident sigh of relief. "Thanks, Ashley. So, I guess that means you'll be contacting Aisha?"

Ashley nodded even though Tanya would never be able to see this motion. "Yeah, that's right. TJ's actually down in The Grove right now, so he'll probably be able to contact her." Ashley paused for a moment as the thought of how unprotected and ultimately unprepared Tanya and her small city would be in the event of any real monster attack. "But, Tanya, you guys need to stay safe down there. Let us know if you need any help at any time. Rita and Zedd have already started targeting former Rangers. You might be in danger."

Ashley could almost hear Tanya nod on the other side of the line. "Right. Thanks, Ashley."

Ashley could hear Tanya swat her hand down on her communicator swiftly after saying these words. "Listen, Ash, I've got to get back to a strategy meeting," she whispered a few seconds later. I'll be in touch."

"Right, Tanya," Ashley responded. "Take care, and never hesitate to call if you need any back-up."

Ashley disconnected the line and looked over at Carlos. "Looks like we're gonna need to find Aisha. Think you could get TJ on it while he's down there?"

Carlos nodded and began to initiate contact with TJ.

Ashley hoped TJ and Cassie would be successful in recruiting the five Rangers they needed. Considering how the day had been going so far, Ashley figured they could all use a lucky break.

**Additional Author's Note:** Okay, okay, yeah, I really wanted to get back to Kim by now too, but I had to take care of this first. I was thinking of sticking the Kim part in this chapter, but that wouldn't really make sense seeing as they're two completely different parts. Also, I decided I really like Andros and Ashley. I decided right now at this moment that I will ship them. Also, **Greaser Angel** requested that this story be 50 plus chapters (which is weird for me, considering my longest story do date is only 16 chapters long. I think I'd already killed a main character in that story by now…) in length, so fear not; I have plenty of ideas for action-y stuff that I have to set up in these initial chapters.

**Please leave a review** and let me know what you think of this chapter and if you have any guesses as to what I might be foreshadowing.

Later gators,

Eals


	9. Some Things Last Forever

**Author's Note: **Okay, so REALLY, (even though I've had a few key pieces of dialog for this scene down since **Greaser Angel** asked for this story) didn't think I'd have this chapter out so soon. You can all thank **GINA** for her kind words and encouragement (and need for a fix; haha, I LOVE IT). Also, it's proof that reviews hold power. Saying such, thanks to all those who have been reading, reviewing, and all that jazz, this story! You, my friends, make my world, and this STORY, go round. Hope you enjoy, cause, yeah, Kim's back : )

I don't own or have rights to Power Rangers, Seinfeld, or The Today Show.

In The Absence of Destruction

Chapter 8: Some Things Last Forever

**In Florida**

Cassie stared back at Kimberly with a look of slight nervousness. Kim thought how maybe it wasn't that terribly easy to meet someone, whom she'd probably heard many stories about, for the first time. Kim just hoped they were good stories and not ones purely pertaining to when Maligore had turned her evil, an event in her life she was sure had made her friends wary of her.

As Cassie began to twist her hands together as if she was afraid to speak or in some bizarre state of shock, Kim raised her eyebrows as a precursor to prompting the younger woman.

"Cassie?" Kim prompted with a slight head jerk and half smile.

Cassie shook her head as if bringing herself to the present. "Oh, sorry, it's just," she blew out a breath and smiled widely. "You're Kimberly Ann Hart!"

Kim raised an eyebrow in slight confusion. She wasn't really sure what the current Pink Ranger had meant. "Wow, ya know, I always wondered what my name was," she answered dryly.

Cassie began to guffaw as if Kimberly had just told the greatest joke since the season finale of Seinfeld. "Wow, ha-ha, you ARE a wit!"

Kim narrowed her eyes and wondered if maybe Cassie was having some sort of nervous breakdown brought on by her last Ranger battle. That, or maybe someone put something in the Angel Grove water supply. She wouldn't put it past her old nemeses. _ It was probably Rito_, she thought to herself.

"I mean," Cassie continued as Kim silently made her hypotheses. "You're Kimberly-Ann-Hart," Cassie drew out her name. Kim thought again how this was information she'd somehow gleaned from the 19 years of her life. "First Pink Ranger, leader of the Wild West Rangers, second in command of the Ninja Rangers," Cassie listed off the accomplishments Kim had never really thought of herself as achieving, "you're seriously a legend!" Kim was taken aback by this word and shook her head slightly while frowning in confusion. "I can't believe I'm actually MEETING YOU!"

At Cassie's excited, nearly shouted words, Kim's eyes grew wide as she stepped forward to place a hand over the excited younger girl's mouth to shush her. "Whoa there, junior, we don't want the neighbors to call the cops," she said with concealed exasperation. These newbies REALLY didn't seem to have respect for the whole secrete identity thing.

Cassie shook her head as if bringing herself back to her senses and the task at hand while Kim removed her hand from over Cassie's mouth and wondered if she really did just experience a fan-girl moment. So maybe her inadvertent brush with evil wasn't as major to these new Rangers as seemed to be to her own friends.

"Sorry, Kimberly," Cassie began with a business-like tone. "You're right; we need to keep our heads."

Kim raised her eyes to the sky in slight annoyance. She really didn't think she should be included in those having trouble with their heads. That, or she really wished Cassie would get to the point and tell her why she, herself, might lose it.

"So," Kim began as she led Cassie over to a stand of trees where they'd be less likely to be seen and heard. "Want to tell me why I just experienced some serious déjà vu, and why you got to have an express trip to sunny South Florida?" she questioned with her (apparently) signature wit.

Cassie's face grew stern after the shadow of a smile etched on her visage at Kim's words had faded. "Right." She frowned and shook her head. "As you probably know by now, the Space Rangers are in serious trouble."

Kim shifted her head slightly to the left as she fed Cassie a flat, sardonic smile. "Yeah, I got that from the entire world apparently being in, like, dire straits. Even the perky news caster on _Today_ dropped her eternal smile."

Cassie nodded her head vigorously and sucked in a sharp breath. "Yeah, well it's not just the world, but KO-35 and Aquitar are in trouble too." Kim scratched her head at the mention of KO-35 as she'd never heard of this foreign land, but Cassie just ignored this and continued. "All the forces of darkness, Astronema, Divatox, the Machine Empire, Master Vile, Rita, Zed, they're all starting to hit us on different fronts." She sighed as she cast her eyes down and shook her head. "And we're not strong enough to beat them alone."

The nagging feeling Kimberly had been having since she'd first seen the Zedd putties descend upon her and her teammates that she was in for more than she'd ever bargained for returned. Sure, she'd fared well in that tiny battle, and it HAD admittedly felt great to kick some evil butt again, but she wasn't sure if she was ready for what she assumed Cassie was about to inevitably ask her next on such short notice. She always figured she'd return to be a Ranger once her gymnastics career was over, but she'd also always figured she'd have time to prepare herself for that return to the Power.

While Cassie remained silent after this revelation of the Space Ranger's inadequacy, Kim decided to be proactive. "You're recruiting old Rangers to help you in the fight, aren't you?"

Cassie smiled at Kim's intuitiveness and nodded her head. "We're restoring the Turbo Powers and bringing back the Turbo Rangers."

Kim narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Then shouldn't you be talking to Katherine right now?"

Cassie half grinned and shook her head once in the negative. "Already asked Kat, and she suggested you."

Kimberly smiled at the thought of her friend and chosen replacement. Kat and she had always made sure to stay in touch with emails, even after the whole Maligore incident. Kim had always figured Katherine had empathized with her about the being turned evil bit and didn't hold it against her like her other friends seemed to. She could understand how the others might be wary of her since that incident, but the person whose reaction she really didn't understand was Tommy. After all, he was the original Evil Ranger. She didn't understand his silence since the whole affair. It just seemed so hypocritical to her…

"But…why?" Kim asked in relation to why Katherine would suggest her to take her place as a Turbo Ranger. Sure they were friends, but that didn't translate into giving her powers to Kim.

Cassie smiled. "Basically, she just said you were the best choice for the job."

Kim scrunched up her face in confusion. "She said that?"

Cassie raised an eyebrow at her question. "You really don't get it, do you? You really don't get how respected you are as a Power Ranger."

Kim flattened her mouth and flicked her eyes downward. "No," she almost whispered, "I guess I don't."

Kim became lost in thought about what people really did think of her. She wondered if there was some other reason why her friends had seemed so distant to her since, now that she thought about it, even before the Maligore incident. Sure, Trini, Jason, and Zack still kept in close contact, always made sure to give or take a call from her at least once a week, but the others, Adam, Rocky, even Aisha for some reason, had seemed to fade out of her life. She'd get an email from them every once and a while, but she'd stopped trying to call them long ago; and this whole state of being had begun a while BEFORE the Maligore thing. She wondered what else could have been the trigger to start this slow estrangement. Long distances were never a problem when Jason, Trini, and Zack were half a world away in Switzerland, but apparently Florida was just too far? Yeah, right. There had to be something else going on.

"Soooo, will you do it? Come back, I mean," Cassie broke into her thoughts.

Kim looked beyond her thoughts of why her friends had seemed to abandon her and thought about what Cassie was really asking. She was asking her to rejoin the Power Rangers, to be a hero again and help protect the Earth. Kim had once sworn to do so and figured that oath was pretty much a lifetime thing. There was no way she could turn her back on this request. Whether or not her friends were afraid of her, or even still liked her, had no bearing on this decision. And in truth, it wasn't really a decision at all.

"Do you seriously have to ask?" Kim answered with one of her old bubbly smiles.

Cassie half smiled and dropped an eyebrow in confusion. "Yes?"

Kimberly facepalmed at Cassie's lack of confidence in her. "That was a 'yes,' Cassie."

Cassie breathed out an evident sigh of relief. "Oh, haha," she laughed lightly once more at Kim's way of speaking. "I wasn't sure…um, sorry." She punctuated her statement by giving Kim another fan-girl smile.

Kim resisted the urge to facepalm again.

Just then, a thought occurred to Kim. Given the circumstances, that Kat had requested she replace her as a Turbo Ranger, there was the possibility, albeit slim, that she wouldn't have to wade through the mine field of her seemingly estranged friends, especially Tommy. She also knew Tommy out of all of them would be there, but there was always a chance that she might escape that awkwardness.

"So, Cass, who else is gonna be on the team," she asked casually.

Cassie seemed to smile a little too brightly. "Umm, you, Adam, probably Tonya, tommy, AND JUSTIN OR ROCKY!" She made sure to mumble Tommy's name and emphasize the last two so as to make his probable presence on the team even more under-rated.

Kim narrowed her eyes at the list given to her. Even if things had been distant with Adam and Rocky, she knew she really wouldn't have to deal with too much awkwardness with them; they were general 'get along Charlies' who tended to go with the flow. She didn't even KNOW Tonya except as an acquaintance, so that wouldn't be a problem…

The problem would be Tommy. The problem ALWAYS seemed to be Tommy.

She'd had a burning, undeniable crush on him and had to almost hate him to fight him and stop him from trying to destroy her friends. She'd begun to date him while he was at an emotionally vulnerable state after he'd lost his powers, which wasn't the easiest thing for a 16 year old girl with all her own insecurities; God knows how many potentially nervous breakdown engendering emotions she'd have to face in the future for crushing down her own emotions to focus on, and help, him. She would have stayed to remain a Power Ranger, given up her dream as a gymnast and stayed not only as a Ranger, but with him, but he'd encouraged her to chase her dreams, dreams that were now crushed at her feet and utterly meaningless. She would have rejected Jason's idea to visit Angel Grove on her week break from training to see the friends who'd seemed to have forgotten her, but it was her love for Tommy that had drawn her back only to be placed under the evil of Maligore that seemed to make her friends fear her…

But in this, he was always Tommy. Just Tommy: the problem that wasn't really a problem because she loved him so much. As many times as he'd been a problem, she knew, he'd been a solution 10 times more; his support, his assurance, his gentle hand that held hers in times of trouble, or his sweet kiss that lulled her back to the normality of a regular teenager…

Attraction might turn on like a light switch, but true love was built, sure, eternal.

She couldn't deny that he held hers, no matter what the circumstances or how she felt about them. Love burned, but as far as she knew, it didn't kill.

"Oh, God!" Cassie seemed to realize the extent of what her revelation of the team had engendered. "I heard you and Tommy used to be 'a thing.'" She said 'a thing' as if it was 'THE THING' of all Power Rangers romantic lore. "That's…not gonna be…"

"Sure, NO," Kim cut her off before she could say any more. "Of course not." She placed her true feelings for Tommy behind her to answer the Pink Space Ranger as best she thought she should. "I mean, I'll totally be professional and all," she voiced clearly before adding, "given I'm technically the only real 'professional' of the group, after all." She shrugged to herself to punctuate these words and assure herself of their truth, no matter WHAT her feelings might dictate.

Cassie's face contorted into a look of discomfort before it broke into a matter-of-fact smirk. "Actually, that's not quite accurate," she said with a shrug. "Tommy's spent the last year as a professional stock car driver in his free time in college…"

Kimberly's protective instinct of Tommy was immediately activated by these words. "What?!" she shouted. "Like, Oh my God! What does that idiot think he's doing driving stock cars! All he has is a seat belt! He doesn't even have a Power Suit anymore." Kimberly paused to seethe at the thought of her one true love getting himself killed performing such a trivial and dangerous pursuit. "Dumb-ass is gonna get himself killed," she said under her breath.

Cassie had apparently heard this whispered comment too, because she jumped in to deflect Kim's perceived animosity. "Well, NO. Actually," she smiled and grabbed Kim's hand. "He hasn't been driving for quite some time, given the state of Angel Grove and all."

At these stealing words, Kim was reminded of the state of her home town and the people she loved throughout the world no matter how they might feel about her. She didn't know where things stood with her and Tommy, but she hoped, perhaps foolishly, maybe a reunion with him could reunite them as the joined and supportive couple they used to be, the couple she'd always thought they were supposed to be.

Kim smiled up at Cassie confidently, thinking of not just her renewed commitment to the Power Rangers, but the possibility of a renewed relationship with Tommy.

"Right, Cassie. We need to help Angel Grove and the rest of the world." Cassie's face lit up at her encouraging words. "Let's do this!" she said loudly, not loud enough to disturb the relative peace or give their position away, but so as to give a battle cry and assure her commitment to the team that was The Power Rangers.

**Additional Author's Note: **Full team? Almost. Action will be had in getting there. And yes, the "perky news lady from The Today Show" was Katie Couric. She was quite known for her "perkiness" in the '90's. She's calmed down since then.

**Please leave a review** and let me know what you think of this chapter, story, life in general, friends; I'm not too picky (haha). We now know they make the story go 'round.

Take care,

Eals : )


	10. Evil In Two Forms

**Author's Note: **Again, I didn't think I'd write this chapter until the weekend, but I got a gentle prod from **Gina**, so you can all thank her; ya know, if you actually were looking or waiting for this story, ha ha. And, **Gina** needs to get an account so I can PM her about how awesome she is and gab about how awesome the AJJ interview on No Pink Spandex was, cause, dude, it was AWESOME! (See, I can gently prod too, *Big SMILE*). Anyho, thanks to all you beautiful people who have been reading, reviewing, following, and placing this story on favorites. Hope you enjoy : )

I don't own or have rights to Power Rangers, Winnebago, Seinfeld, or Golden Girls.

In The Absence of Destruction

Chapter 9: "Evil" in Two Forms

**Outside a "Winnebago of Evil" *snorts* On the Moon**

As Goldar stood with his arm draped over his 'girl,' Scorpina, outside his deplorable mobile 'home,' he sighed with a mixture of boredom and disgust. He and Scorpina were currently watching a 'sparing match' between Rito and Baboo that had pretty much degenerated into Rito kicking Baboo in the rear and then smacking said rear with his bone-sword and laughing hysterically, repeatedly. Goldar wondered how this blundering idiot had EVER managed to engineer the plot that destroyed the Thunder Zords.

"Yeah, yeah, 'YOU WANT'A PIECE 'A ME?!'" Rito shouted at Baboo in his best imitation of Mr. Costanza from Seinfeld.

"Arrrggg," Goldar moaned as he facepalmed with his free hand. "Remind me to break the antenna to the TV once we go back inside," he said to Scorpina. "I'm really getting tired of this dunder-head quoting insipient human sit-coms."

Scorpina frowned slightly. "Actually, I kind-of like Golden Girl—"

"GOLDAR!" Lord Zedd shouted out the door of the Winnebago before (_thankfully_, Goldar thought) Scorpina could finish her true confession. "Inform me when the Puddies and Tengas report back!"

"Darrgg, Yes, my Lord," Goldar responded before adding, "of absolutely nothing but cuckoldry…" under his breath.

Scorpina snickered at his whispered words. Goldar smiled as best his plastic-like monkey head could manage. He always knew there was a reason he loved Scorpina, her taste in human television shows and Affinity for this 'Betty White' be damned.

"Hey, Goldie!" Rito addressed Goldar as he sat on top of Baboo while he struggled uselessly to get out from under the assembled stack of bones. "Let's go! Man-o a man-o. It's hard to even sweat with this buffoon!"

"Garrrr," Goldar groaned to Scorpina before turning his head back to Rito. "Yeah, you're one to talk, bone-head. As I recall, the last good fight you were in was with your pillow when you couldn't get into a comfortable sleeping position."

"Hey!" Rito took offence. "You try sleeping with a lump like that that doesn't properly mold to your head! I swear, I'm gonna have to hit up my sister for some health insurance to see a chiropractor if this keeps up!"

Goldar facepalmed again. He couldn't imagine how this once powerful ban of alien outlaws had become such a motley crew of babied softies. He knew he wasn't really exempted from this status; the Heaven those goodie-goods believed in knew he'd rather spend his time lounging around on some moon rocks with Scorpina these days rather fight his loser 'Lord and Empress'' battles for them. The way he saw it, this ban of roughians was past its prime and needed some new blood, and mostly a new leader, to bring it back to its former glory.

This didn't mean he wouldn't be totally down with going down to Earth himself to fight some of the former Rangers, especially Tommy, himself. He still seethed at the thought of them always finding a way to dodge his attacks or get out of dark dimensions when he had them cornered and on the ropes. He was sure, had been sure since the first time he'd faced Jason in Rita's original Dark Dimension, that if he was given the chance to attack the Rangers while they didn't have their powers, he could surely bring them to their knees. He may have been out of practice, but at this point, so were they. He silently and secretly salivated at the thought of getting his chance to once again take on the Rangers himself.

But, this wouldn't keep him from keeping up his cool in front of the morons he was now forced to 'work with.' He really, honestly didn't think he'd ever be able to take out the Power Rangers with the likes of idiots like Rito, Squat, and Baboo. He knew Finster felt the same way. The two of them had spent many a night commiserating with each other over bottles of blood wine and some devilishly strong human creation Finster had referred to as 'poteen.'

Just then, the pack of Tengas that had been sent out an hour ago returned. Squawking and flapping their wings like disgruntled divas, he saw them walk up to Rito with one ring leader holding his hand out. Although Goldar couldn't hear what it was saying to Rito, he knew it was demanding payment for the job they'd just performed, regardless of the outcome.

Golder grumbled to himself and smacked his forehead one more time before shaking his head and staring up into outer space. "I TOLD Rita never to sub-contract…"

"Yeah," Scorpina sighed. "And I bet they want a bonus too. EVERYONE's got to be 'treated special' now-a-days. Whatever happened to the pure satisfaction of defeating your enemy?" Scorpina asked in disgust of the times they lived in.

"American television," Goldar spat out in response to her rhetorical question.

Reluctantly disengaging his arm from around his 'ship, Goldar turned in the direction of the mobile home. "Master," he called before adding, "baiter," under his breath. Scorpina chuckled softly at his humor. Goldar smiled darkly at her before continuing. "The Tenga 'warriors' have returned." He even used air quotes when he said 'warriors.' He truly never had seen the point in recruiting those worthless feather-brains.

"Ahhh," Zedd said as he stepped, then tripped down the stairs of the Winnebago. He mumbled a few choice curse words in the process of his stumble that appeared to have offended Squat and Baboo's ears, because their hands shot up to do 'earmuffs.' "Tengas!" he shouted with lingering frustration from his misstep. "Report on your mission!" he ordered with authority that Goldar was pretty sure he hadn't really deserved or commanded since he'd married Rita.

"Yeah," Rita said as she followed on Zedd's heals. "Give us a report!"

The ring leader whom had been demanding payment from Rito not one minute before scratched his head and stepped forward. "Well, boss," he attempted to endear Zedd. "It was a heck of a battle…that Tommy guy managed to get away, but…" the Tenga hesitated. Goldar knew he was just trying to think of a way to phrase his words in a positive light. If he himself had never been able to defeat Tommy in combat, he sure as Hell knew the Tengas never could without him. "We sure gave him a run for 'is money!" the Tenga finished with obvious false enthusiasm.

"So…you failed then, right?" Goldar prompted without beating around the bush. He always hated how failed minions managed to drag out these worthless status reports.

"Ahh, well," the lead Tenga said with his head still held high before dropping it dramatically. "Yeah."

Zedd seethed and grumbled for a moment before flinging his staff in the direction of the Tenga and shooting a beam of destructive power at it. Zedd threw his arms in the air with frustration as the Tenga disintegrated into a pile of feathers. "Failures! All of you!" he shouted with the pure, evil rage Goldar and the others had not heard in so long. Rita even seemed to cower a little at his displayed strength. "But, no more! I refuse to tolerate your ineptitude any longer! Finster!" he called out, nearly knocking a now frightened Rita with his staff as he swung around.

"Yes, my Lord?" the elderly monster maker questioned as he stood at the entrance of the mobile home.

"Finish the monster you're making now and send it down with Goldar, Rito, and the rest of this worthless lot of bird-brains. Then report back to me," he ordered with the old bad-ass authority Goldar hadn't heard in so long. "Your next assignment will be to create a suit of armor for me." He scoffed darkly as he first looked at his surprised wife then the rest of his ban of 'evil' doers. "If the rest of these losers cannot handle the Power Rangers, perhaps it's time to make them feel the wrath of Lord Zedd first hand."

Goldar smiled at the thought of this. It was good to see his leader's old personality and fighting spirit back again after so long. He wasn't sure if Zedd would be any more successful in combat than he had been in the past, but he was surprisingly excited to see what he could do.

"But, but, Zeddie—" Rita began before Zedd cut her off.

"Silence! This is the plan! None of your incessant whining will change that!"

Zedd turned to look directly at Goldar. "Go, Goldar. Prove to me that you are worth the wings I once restored to you," he commanded.

Goldar nodded. "Yes, my Lord," he said with sincerity for the first time in years.

Goldar sized up the squad of fighters he had been ordered to take with him on this, his first real mission in years. "Come, Rito, Tengas! It's time to DESTROY THE POWER RANGERS!"

**On the Dark Fortress**

Having been essentially given her marching orders, Karone turned away from Zordon, assembled her features into a more sinister appearance, and attempted to bury the emotions of guilt and shame she was feeling over having hurt so many people she loved while she was brainwashed. She decided she simply couldn't think about that now. She'd have to be on her guard and wear a near professional mask as she embarked on portraying the villainess she had been for so long. One thing was for sure: she wouldn't be method acting for this assignment. Too many lives were at stake and she needed to retain her true self in the back of her mind during this entire endeavor. Never again would she 'become' the character of Astronema.

She pressed a button on the wall to activate the fortress's intercom. "Elgar!" she commanded clear and concisely.

"Durrr, yeah," the Divotox's bumbling idiot of a cousin and henchmen replied.

"Get your lazy, worthless carcass in here, now!" she added with authority. She turned to look at Zordon for approval of her performance. The mystical being simply nodded his head.

"So, ah, what'da want me to do, ahh," Elgar paused and scratched his head as if he was trying to remember some important point, like, you know, the title he was supposed to address Astronema with. "Daaarrrraa, Empress of, ahhhh…" Karone tapped her foot and stared daggers at Elgar as he attempted to remember what he was expected to say out of respect for a woman he feared more than any other, and he cowered slightly as he thought.

Karone really didn't have to act at this point; her frustration at the now obvious stupidity of some of the foot soldiers of evil sincerely pissed her off. She couldn't believe she'd spent so much time associated with these…things.

"Queen of EVIL!" Elgar shouted brightly, apparently proud of his mental acuity.

Karone resisted the urge to smack someone at his dim wittedness. She wasn't sure who she wanted to smack, though; Elgar for being such an idiot or herself for having been duped into spending any significant period of time with him.

"Elgar!" she began loudly before adding, "you worthless piece of scum," in a softer tone meant mostly for her own ears. She could have sworn she heard Zordon chuckle once softly in the background at her words. "Prepare to open a channel to the Power Rangers' Megaship. The Red Ranger invaded the Fortress a short while ago and believes that he has destroyed me." She paused to paste an evil, conniving grin on her face for her henchman's benefit. "It's time I show them how wrong he is," she said in a low, dark tone. "And that they have NO idea what they're dealing with now," she finished in a low, menacing near whisper.

Elgar visibly trembled at her command. "Ahhh, ahhh, Yes, MY QUEEN. Noooo, problem!" he tried to add cheerfully so as to avoid any animosity she was feeling being directed at him.

"Oh, and Elgar," Karone thought of something before the bumbling idiot Dark Specter had assigned to her could leave her metaphorical grasp faster than a greased pig. "Send the engineering Quantrons in here. It's time we stopped draining our ugly excuse for a beauty mask, floating face Zordon here." She turned as if she was about to give Zordon a conniving smile, but instead fed him a bright, hopeful grin. Turning back to Elgar, she continued, "It'd be such a waste to lose all the power he holds in that bobble-head of his." She punctuated her words with her best impression of an evil laugh.

Elgar looked slightly confused for a moment before he responded. "You got it, Queenie. Ahh," he hesitated. "You want me to get you some cough drops while I'm at it? That laugh didn't sound too goo—"

"NO, YOU MORON!" Karone shouted more out of anger at herself for her own goof. "Now, GO! Prepare the way for the evil that will be unleashed on these useless, hopeless, Power Nothings…" This time, she simply trailed off at the end of her orders. She didn't want to risk screwing up her laugh again.

Once Elgar left and the door closed behind him, Karone turned to Zordon. Raising her eyebrows as if searching for validation or approval, Karone asked, "Well?"

Zordon smiled and laughed silently. "For your first attempt at being evil while you are not in fact of that disposition," Karone held on to his every word, "well done."

She breathed a sigh of relief, then froze. "Well, I guess that was the easy part." When Zordon only looked back at her with confusion, she continued. "Now I actually have to deal with my brother. Uhhgg," she said drolly, but with the hint of a sardonic smile.

_Yes_, she thought, she could do this. And in this endeavor lay the hope for and fate of planet Earth and beyond.

**Additional Author's Note: **Wow, that's the second time I've made a Golden Girls reference in one of my stories. Like I made Scorpina have, I, as a Gen Y chick, have an affinity for Betty White. Some say it was that Snickers ad, I say it was Golden Girls re-runs. As I told **YoungAtHeart21**, Zedd's going to get to be more of a bad-ass in this story, and Goldar is slightly modeled after my brother with his "too cool for you" attitude towards Rito and gang. I can totally see the Bro draping his arm around his girlfriend as he looked on and shook his head at people acting like dooffuses. See, I HAVE thought-out this story (!).

So, **Please leave a review** and tell me what you think, and or, kick my scrawny little runner's butt into gear. It's been working lately : )

Take Care,

Eals


	11. Rather Be in Boca

**Author's Note: **Welp, back to the story. Sorry it took so long to update this one. I was simply too busy having life kick me in the rear-end for a while and suffered a little writer's block. Anyho, thanks for sticking with me and reading, reviewing, and what not, this story. I'd like to thank **BellaVision **for productively kicking my rear-end into updating this story. Special apology to **Gina**; hope you didn't starve too much without an update for so long *contrite face*. Man, I really cracked myself up and had a great time writing this chapter, especially Finster's part. Hope you enjoy!

I don't own or have rights to Power Rangers or anything else that may be copyrighted.

In The Absence of Destruction

Chapter 10: Rather Be in Boca…

**In the Angel Grove Underground**

"And this would be," Rocky began during the course of his tour guide 'shtick', "Vanna White…" he trembled off as a young woman came up to him and handed him a hand written note. It was the same deaf girl Kimberly had counseled years before. She knew who the Rangers were through pure intuition and had agreed to be a liaison for the team at the first sight of trouble.

"_Would love to talk sometime soon again, kisses, Aisha." _The note read.

Rocky blushed at the letter while Kim's old mentee giggled at his reaction. The fact that she signed, _her grammar sucks, _to Rocky with a big smile on her face was completely lost on the former Blue Zeo Ranger.

"Ekkhem," Rocky continued, red faced and all TOO smiley, "this would be the young boys' barracks…" he pointed out, but he'd lost his audience. He stopped his exposition as he caught the smirking faces of his fellow male Rangers. They'd obviously caught sight of his 'secrete' note.

"Shi—" Rocky began with a disgruntled face.

"Dude, we ALL know about you and Aisha," Adam told him in a whisper with a 'Dude, we're SOOO not that stupid' face. Honestly, the man was too dull sometimes…

"Right, so at least we know Aisha is here in the network of tunnels," Tommy began, annoyed with the lover-birds' smoltz… Ever since his failed romance with Kimberly he'd found it hard to stand anyone else's love-struck shenanigans.

TJ smirked at the sight of his two predecessors' thinly veiled feelings towards their female counter parts (he knew the deal; he and Cassie had been 'hangn' out' for a while; he totally got the need for priva-) _Beep_! Before he could get further in his thoughts, that familiar "beep" from his communicator brought his attention back to the real world.

"TJ, come in, this is Cassie," the voice on the other end of his communicator spoke.

"Uhhmmm," TJ began, a slight redness rising on his darkened cheeks. His reaction left his fellow Rangers little skepticism for where his previous thoughts had led him.

"Ahhh," TJ simply mumbled at a loss for a more coherent answer to Cassie's page.

Every man smirked at TJ's embarrassed reaction to the cat of his nascent relationship with Cassie being firmly dumped out of the bag on its ass.

"Jesu….What the heck IS WRONG with you, TJ?" Cassie questioned at TJ's lack of coherence. She'd obviously had enough of his lollygagging. TJ just smiled with chagrin at the sound of Cassie's peeved voice. Adam shook his head and shot him a 'man, you're whipped' look. "Get your head back in the game," she continued, oblivious to the orchestration of looks that passed among the four male Rangers. "Kimberley and I are-"

Before Cassie could finish her report, the earth began to shake in that old familiar way it always did when monsters where wreaking havoc on their city.

"Oh shi&!" Rocky exclaimed. "Something tells me that's not a normal earth quake!"

"Cassie! We've got a situation here! Call the other Rangers for back-up. We've got another attack!" he informed the current Pink Ranger as the world lost its bearings beneath him.

Tommy's eye's rose to the ceiling of the complex as the earth ceased to vibrate. "Effen…" he whispered. He sighed loudly before shouting, "We gotta get street level, boys. NOW!" he commanded in his old leader tone.

"Hang on, TJ, I'm on my way!" Cassie assured before ending her communication.

As Tommy, Adam, and Rocky assumed game faces and began to run towards the nearest tunnel to take them street level and into the heart of the monster attack, TJ grabbed Tommy's arm. "Wait!" he began with concern in his voice. "You guys don't have morphers yet!"

All three former Rangers smirked. "Ever hear of the Ninja Ranger Powers, son?" Rocky inquired while Tommy shook off TJ's hand and continued to run with Adam and Rocky towards street level.

TJ shook his head as he followed the others. "Fine. But those powers aren't as strong as the Turbo Powers, so if it gets too hairy, you guys are gonna have to retreat to safety."

The three Ninja Rangers turned their heads back towards the one Space Ranger to shoot him 'Sure. Fine. Whatever.' looks in their haste.

As they reached the street and turned towards the epicenter of the disturbance, Tommy swore under his breath.

"Ahhh, Tommy!" the golden-winged beast before him shouted. "Prepare to meet your doom!"

"Phhsst," the former leader of three separate generations of Power Rangers snorted. "Heard that one before, Goldar. It's tired," he goaded the evil doer as he lead Rocky, Adam, and TJ into battle. "NINJA RANGER POWER, NOW!"

**In Florida**

"Hang on, TJ, I'm on my way!" Cassie singed off her communication with her fellow Ranger.

Kimberly looked slightly perplexed at the current Pink Ranger's consternated face. "You look constipated," she declared with a raised eyebrow. "Like, what was that all about?"

Cassie seemed to barely take notice of Kim's snark towards the entirety of her 'conversation' with TJ. "Angel Grove is under attack again. I've got to get there and help him."

"Alright, let's go," Kim agreed with no trepidation as she began to finger her old communicator, which had somehow managed to never make its way away from her close reach in the years since she'd been an active Ranger.

Cassie almost smacked her hand away from the device without a shred of the hero worship and respect she'd showed towards the original Pink Ranger up to this point.

Kimberly grimaced and shook her head quickly in disbelief with a raised eyebrow. "Cassie, what the Hell are you doing?"

"You can't come with me!" Cassie answered as if the notion was patently obvious. "You don't have a morpher yet!"

Kim smirked and raised a bored eyebrow at the Pink Space Ranger. "Yeah, I'm sure if we ask real nicely all the evil scum-bags of the universe will wait kindly while I go retrieve that," she said while raising her hand back up to her communicator.

Now Cassie truly looked constipated with consternation for Kim's safety.

"As if the lack of a morpher would stop me," Kim answered Cassie's unspoken concern in a near whisper. "But relax, Starbuck," Kimberly commanded nonchalantly giving Cassie Ahab's conscientious first mate's name. "I've still got the Ninja Ranger mojo going on."

Cassie nodded her acceptance wearily with a deep sigh. "Guess I never had a chance keeping you out of this anyway."

Kimberly took one quick look around her to make sure no one was watching before half smiling and jerking her head while saying, "Now you're catching on," and disappearing into a streak of pink light into the sky west towards California.

**In Finster's 'Lab' in the 'Winnebago of Evil' on the Moon**

Finster sighed as he bent over his clay creation on the small table in front of him, bumping his head on the wall of the confined area he inhabited. He really did wish that after all the years of devoted service he'd given to Rita and Zedd they'd think better of him then giving him the cramped bathroom of a mobile home for a work area. _Oh well, _he thought. _Beggars can't be choosers or some other trite bull crap that the humans might say…_

His mood wasn't being assisted by the fact that Squat insisted on occupying the limited space with him for no good reason that he could discern. He just sighed again as he rubbed his forehead; he'd given up trying to discipline the pot-bellied little bastard long ago. The puerile being was beyond his admonitions. He truly was too old for this sh*&. All he wanted to do was retire to Boca and sip daiquiris on the beach. He'd even vote Democrat like the majority of that area's former New Yorker population if it got him out of this Hell hole of an existence.

"Derrr, didn't you already try that one?" Squat inquired referring to the clay creation in front of the elderly monster maker.

"Squat, why don't you go join your bumbling boyfriend, Baboo. I thought you two were surgically joined at the hip," was Finster's only reply.

Squat merely answered him with an innocent, big-eyed puppy-dog face.

_Damn dogs, _Finster thought as he non-consciously patted the short moron's head. _Can never resist a little dog. _After Rito had been up 49 hours straight watching some inane black and white television series about a man who flew around in his underwear staring some actor named George Reeves, he'd informed him dogs were his 'kryptonite.'

Sighing once more, he bent over and finished his sculpture while finally answering Squat's question as if he was explaining why the sky was blue to a three-year-old. "Yes, Squat, I have used Bones before. But this time I've designed him so that his head won't detach. That was how that Blue Power Ranger managed to undo him last time." Finister 'wanted to believe' (like that dower guy on that show that got aliens all wrong that Scorpina, and not so secretly Goldar and Zedd, liked to watch on Sunday nights (he gaged every time he thought about how Zedd not only had a disturbing thing for the original Pink Ranger, but also the red head on the show… Her hair really was 'too red,' ya know what I mean…)) that he was re-creating Bones with a fool-proof methodology, but really, in his old ticker of a heart he knew he just didn't give a damn anymore. He'd pretty much just taken the first clay creation sitting on the toilet tank lid he used for a shelf and finished sculpting it. He was pretty much 'going to Carolina in his mind' and really didn't care what his 'masters' thought of his motivations.

"Here, Squat," he handed the finished product to the short minion whose name was shared with his description. "Take this to Lord Zedd to give it life and escort it into action," he ordered lightly as he turned to sit down on his 'thrown' of a covered toilet seat. "I need a drink," he uttered under his breath as he reached for tall bottle of Jameson Whiskey.

It wasn't a daiquiri on the beach, but it would do.

**On the Megaship**

As Ashley bent over the computer console in front of her to command DECA to begin the search for Aisha, she looked up at the sound of the bridge hatch opening up. "Andros," she frowned. "What are you doing? You KNOW you still need to rest," she chided maternally.

The Red Space Ranger shook his head at her words. "Ashley, KO-35 and Aquitar are being virtually held hostage and Earth isn't far behind. This is no time for me to be sitting around kissing my wounds."

"Or maybe 'licking your wounds'," Carlos replied sarcastically at Andros's failed use of idiom from across the room.

Andros nodded sincerely. "That either."

Ashley non-consciously narrowed her eyes at Andros's obtuseness before her attention was drawn back to DECA who informed them of an, "Incoming message."

"Guys!" TJ's voice burst through the air directly on the heels of DECA's computerized voice. "Angel Grove is being attacked by Rita and Zedd's forces! We need back-up!" he informed in agitation while Zhane silently entered the bridge, a dejected look still covering his visage.

"Read you, TJ," Andros responded while Carlos attempted to get everyone's attention.

"Guys, we're being hailed," the Black Space Ranger informed.

As he pressed the button to receive the incoming transmission on the viewing screen in front of the Space Rangers, both Andros and Zhane released a sharp intake of breath.

Astronema appeared, alive and well, leering at them on the screen.

**Additional Author's Note: **If you don't know what 90's television show I was referring to in Finster's section, you may not be a 90's child. This week I had an epiphany that Andros is basically Mulder, so I decided to make a running gag with The X-Files. Plus, it just tickles me to have characters in one of the 90's biggest cultural phenomenons refer to characters in another one of the 90's biggest cultural phenomenons. I bet you can guess what DVD's I got for Christmas…

Anyway, **Please Leave a Review **and let me know what you think of this chapter. It may be the impetus to kick my rear-end into gear again : )

Peace,

Eals


	12. Revelations

**Author's Note: **Thanks to all who read, reviewed, and began to follow or favorite this story, particularly since its return from hiatus last chapter. I really appreciate the feedback! And now, Cookie and Candy time again (!).

I don't own or have rights to Power Rangers.

In The Absence of Destruction

Chapter 11: Revelations

**On The Megaship**

Andros, Zhane, Ashley, and Carlos stood dumbstruck at the sight before them, no more so than the two citizens of KO-35.

"Power Rangers," Astronema addressed the Space Rangers in a menacing tone. "This is a communication," she paused to stare directly at Andros, her eyes seeming to linger on Zhane for a moment before reaching her brother, "to inform you that despite your best efforts, particularly from you, Red Ranger, you have failed to defeat me or my forces." Her face fell for a moment after she said these words to her twin, but a split second later the sneer she had been wearing up until that point returned to her face as she returned her eyes to a neutral position from which she could address all of the Rangers before her. "And as you can see," she pointed to a large energy tube behind her, "your precious Zordon is still in my possession." She flashed her eyes to Andros in particular once more. "Another failure," she nearly whispered.

Andros couldn't help but catch a glimpse of something in her eyes that seemed to be communicating something deeply to him and him alone. But both times she had focused her attention squarely on him, the moment he caught wind of some intuitive feeling of secrete communication, her visage changed back to the evil nonchalance of a villain he had come to recognize as the being who stole his sister's mind, body, and spirit. He supposed his hopeful heart had just imagined what he thought he saw. This hope was killing him.

"So hear this, Power Rangers!" Astronema continued in a strong and menacing tone, addressing the Rangers as a whole. "Your failed efforts to defeat me, The Queen of Evil, and those under my command, has only forced me to redouble my efforts to crush you into dust. What you once feebly labeled 'The Battle of Angel Grove' is now a war," she cautioned dark and directly with that same soul wrenching wickedness Andros had come to associate what the enemy who had once been his sister. "Prepare yourselves for one Hell of a fight, Rangers, because I won't back down from bringing about an end to this interminable waste of my time struggle with you. This. Will. End. Soon," she drew her last declaration out slowly and cruelly so as to emphasize her sincerity. Such sincerity caused Andros's nerves to steel while his heart simultaneously broke.

"You have been warned," Astronema advised before the image of her in front of the Rangers blinked out and the message ended.

Andros shook his head and sighed at the end of the communication. Leaving his eyes on the screen where the remnants of his sister had appeared moments before for another few seconds, he turned on his heel and left the bridge, having never even registered the fact that after that first initial, almost longing, glance at Zhane, Astronema had avoided eye contact with him for the rest of the dispatch.

"Andros!" Ashley called after Andros's retreating form, but the hatch closed behind him and her voice fell on deaf ears.

She began to chase after him, but Zhane held up his hand to stop her. "Wait here, guys. I'll talk to him." He paused and stared down at the floor in seeming remorse for a moment before continuing almost to himself, "I need to talk to him."

**On The Dark Fortress**

As the communication screen in front of her faded to black, Karone let out a deep sigh and began to nearly hyperventilate as she strode over to the nearest wall, clutching it for stability. She shook her head and tried to get control over herself, but was having little success at this endeavor.

She couldn't believe how hard that had been. Sure, she knew in some measure that contacting the people she'd put through the most grief during her time as an evil empress would be difficult, but she never guessed it would affect her this deeply. The shock and unmistakable look of pure joy that lined the edges of Zhane's face had been so unbearable for her to view that after that first lingering glimpse of him at the beginning of her verbal missive, she'd had to force herself to avoid his gaze at all costs. He was actually happy to see her. After all she'd put him through, her violence and betrayal after she'd temporarily found her true identity, he was still happy to see her. He still believed in her, Karone's, innate goodness and had hope that she, Karone, would overpower the identity of Astronema once again. She loved him for his hope and confidence, but it was just too much to bear as long as she was supposed to act the part of her villainous alter-ego.

And it was also too much to see as a juxtaposition of the face her brother, her TWIN brother who had never in all the years since their childhood given up hope in finding her alive and of her innate nature, which held nothing but the complete absence of hope amid shock and an unmistakable glimmer of rage. Andros was, simply put, defeated. She as Astronema had defeated him. She as Astronema had taken away his last vestige of hope. He truly believed that evil had one-out and Astronema had fully taken over Karone's body and mind and that not even the humanly death he'd thought he'd inflicted upon her in their last battle could erase that personality from his sister's self. She was THAT good of an actress, and she hated herself for it.

Now straightening up and attempting to regain control over her faculties, Karone let out one more deep breath. She'd attempted to give the Space Rangers a warning of what was to come as well as a message that this all, all the destruction and violence, would end soon. She'd warned them to expect an attack shortly so that they would be ready, willing, and able to defend themselves against her forces, but she'd also told them that the fight wouldn't last forever. But, from the looks on Zhane and Andros's faces, the two people she'd anticipated would be receptive to her veiled, cryptic message, it seemed that this information had not really gotten through. Sure, they'd be expecting an attack sometime soon, but they had no reason to believe that such an attack would only be subterfuge in an attempt to convince the myriad forces of darkness that Astronema was still in the game as a force of evil. They wouldn't know that it was all meant for the greater good.

In this moment, with this realization, Karone decided on an immediate course of action. She would kill the two birds of keeping up appearances and keeping her loved ones safe by sending Elgar with a pack of the dimmest Quantrons to attack Angel Grove's 'abandoned warehouse district.' In her studies to be a villainess, she remembered learning about some of Rita's less cerebral goons attacking said area in attempts to 'intimidate' the people of Earth. She'd always found those attacks worthless wastes of everyone's time, but now she would use that precedent to her advantage. Elgar being a complete moron would only facilitate her plan. Plus, the whole busy work assignment would give her more time to figure out how to get Zordon back to the safe protection of the Power Rangers.

Such a thought towards the timeless being brought her attention back to the present and tangible. She looked up at the floating head of a mentor to see if he approved of her performance with the Rangers. He simply smiled down at her as best he could in his weary and drained state.

"That was a remarkable display of self-will and determination, Karone," he attempted to assure her.

"Yeah, they seemed to buy it pretty well," she frowned. "That's the problem. I don't know how long I'll be able to keep up this act knowing how much pain I'm putting the people I love through."

"You will have to, Karone," Zordon said sternly. "It is all part of the quest you must undertake to atone for all of your evil actions in the past."

Karone nodded her head while looking down at the floor morosely. "Yes, I know." Looking back up at the Eltarian once more, her face took on a more determined look. "But I can keep up this act while protecting them and restoring some of your energy at the same time," she said as she walked over to the control panel that had been used to suck out Zordon's power. "The Quantrons stopped the process of draining you, but I bet…" she trailed off as she fiddled around with some knobs and switches and a computer program in binary code appeared before her on a small screen on the console. "If I just re-write this code a little, I can reverse the process and return some of the energy we took from you and stored in the Dark Fortress."

She smiled to herself in silent thanks, for the first time, that Darkonda and Ecliptor had insisted she be tutored in in some basic technological and computer studies. What she once found to be dull and distracting from her studies in the great evil forces that preceded her, she now finally found of the utmost usefulness in her quest for redemption.

She typed in one last sequence of commands on the keyboard of the panel and smiled at the screen in front of her before turning it off. "There," she said as she turned back to Zordon with the first look of confidence she'd had since he had restored her to her true self. "I set the reverse energy transfer so that you will slowly be restored to some of your strength, but to low so that it won't set off any alarms or alert anyone to what I'm doing."

Zordon nodded once in reply, a look of thanks and pride in her abilities and fortitude towards the mission he had assigned to her on the waves of energy that passed for his face.

"And now," Karone said as she turned away from him and replaced her features with the same look of villainous malice she had worn during her communication with the Power Rangers. "It's time to continue with the plan."

She strode confidently up to the intercom on the wall, pressed the open channel button, and shouted, "ELGAR! Report to me at once! I have a new mission for you," she said darkly, a sneer returning to her face as she further got back into character.

Yes, she knew that this mission would only continue to be as difficult as it had been to make that initial contact with Andros and Zhane in the entity of Astronema once more. But it was a mission, Zordon was right, she needed to perform with success. The safety of her loved ones, the universe, and her overall redemption in their and her own eyes, depended on it.

**On The Megaship**

Zhane tracked Andros down to the training room. Opening the door to enter, he felt a strong sense of nostalgia as the site inside the room struck his eyes; Andros was running a program of KO-35, the KO-35 from before its occupation, the KO-35 of their youth. Staring at his best friend as he looked out into the distance of the old familiar, free, wilderness, he knew exactly what the other man was thinking: you can't go home again, not to the home of your carefree and simple past. Zhane knew this intuitively, because he felt it too.

"Hey, Andros, listen—" Zhane began, but was cut-off by his friend.

"I'm not in the mood to talk, Zhane," Andros said curtly with a slight air of dejection.

"Well that's too bad." Zhane strode over to sit beside the closest person he had to a brother, family. "Because I am."

Even as Zhane placed his hand on Andros's shoulder, Andros continued to stare out into the distance that he could not, in his mental preoccupation, actually see. "Look, man," Zhane began, mimicking terminology he'd heard the Earth Rangers use with each other in endearment. "I just want to apologize for before. That's what I came to the bridge to tell you before…" he trailed off as a smile non-consciously lightly lit his visage. "Before we got that communication from Karone. Even if she wasn't alive, as she so clearly is," he continued, unable to mask his joy, "My reaction to the news you gave us earlier was uncalled for and rash—"

"She's still dead," Andros cut him off, still refusing to look his best friend in the eye.

Zhane was incredulous at Andros's curt and defeated statement. How dare he find fault in the miracle they just witnessed before their very eyes? "No she's not, Andros! We saw her! She spoke straight to us!"

Andros finally turned his head to look the Silver Space Ranger in the eye. "Who we saw was Astronema, the evil Queen who usurped my sister's mind and body, the evil Queen who killed her spirit."

Zhane shook his head at Andros's faulty conclusions. "But don't you see?! Before we thought she was gone completely, but now we have reason to hope again. If Astronema is alive, then Karone is alive somewhere too, just buried beneath the surface. We still have a chance to get your sister back; it's not over!" he declared enthusiastically in a manner he hoped would strengthen his friend's resolve.

Andros shook his head and nearly sneered in derision. "You don't get it," he began in that same dejected tone he'd used since his return from the Dark Fortress. "As difficult and as heart wrenching as it was to see her laying their dead in the clothes and make-up of Astronema, I was glad it was over." His words shocked Zhane like a stealth stab to the heart, but he just continued unencumbered by any feelings that might be engendered by the pained look on his friend's face. "I just wanted it to be over. I just wanted closure after all these years. And now," his voice broke, but he pressed on to finish his confession. "Now Astronema is back in my sister's body and I've lost all hope that we'll ever get Karone back."

Zhane shook his head while simultaneously shaking Andros's shoulder in an attempt to steel his determination. "But hope is all we've had for so long, Andros. It's what's kept us fighting, what still keeps us fighting. We have to still believe that Karone is still out there and that KO-35 will be returned to the land we once knew as kids."

Andros shook Zhane's hand off his shoulder and looked down before staring his friend straight on again. "Hope isn't action. It gets us nowhere. And," he shook his head as he stared back out at the fabricated view of his lost home in front of them, "if I allow myself to hope that I'll get my sister back again, I know I won't be able to survive if I lose her to death once more, either physical death, or the death of Astronema controlling her body for the rest of her life."

Zhane forced the Red Space Ranger to look him right in the eye during his response. "You know your friends, Ashley, won't let that happen to you, won't let you give up. I won't let you give up. I promise you that, brother."

A light seemed to dimly shine in Andros's eyes at this declaration, but before he could answer, Ashley ran through the door and ended the KO-35 program that was running.

"Guys! TJ and Cassie's group is fending off the fight in downtown Angel Grove, but now Elgar's leading another attack on the outskirts of town." She paused to assess Andros's mood before continuing. Seeing the slight shadow or beginning of hope that Zhane's words had just inspired, she smiled lightly at him and continued to address both men. "We've got to get down there. Earth is depending on it!"

Andros nodded once. His defeated mood towards his sister's current state was not fully assuaged, but he trusted friends like Zhane and Ashley would never let him venture into too dark of a place if circumstances didn't end in their favor.

As Carlos ran into the room to complete the team that was currently on the Megaship, he nodded once more with at least part of his typical leader confidence. "Let's ROCKET!" he shouted as a battle cry and command.

**Additional Note:** Man, these guys are all drama queens! They really need to catch a break (!). I may or may not let that happen. I'm known for mentally and emotionally maiming people in my stories, so, yeah. Okay, back to the action of TK and the rest of the old Rangers next chapter.

**Please leave a review** and let me how this is going. The more reviews I get, the more motivated I become and the quicker I update the story.

Happy Monday,

Eals


	13. This Means War

**Author's Note:** As always, I'm eternally grateful to all of you who read, leave reviews, favorite, and follow both this story and me as an author. Love you guys~ PS: The Ninja Rangers in this story appear as they did in The Movie, not the show (i.e., no stupid-arse eye-masks that were obviously made so that characters like Katherine and Aisha could do stunts via stuntmen (no offence to Karen or Catherine, but they were trained dancers who couldn't do the cool stunts that the original Ranger actors could do; they needed compensation for that, but I just hate the eye-mask way they dealt with it).

I don't own or have right to Power Rangers or anything else that may be copy righted in this chapter (too tired to list them all…)

In The Absence of Destruction

Chapter 12: This Means War

**Downtown Angel Grove**

As Tommy, Rocky, and Adam finished morphing into the Falcon, Ape, and Frog Ninja Rangers and prepared themselves in their fight ready stance, Rito leaped between Goldar and Tommy, preparing his own stance.

"Neewwwmman," the bone bodied (and headed) monster sneered in imitation of Jerry Seinfeld at his first view of Tommy. Both Tommy and Goldar frowned, narrowed their eyes, and shook their heads in response to this salutation.

Goldar even facepalmed.

"Hard to get good help these days, eh, Goldar?" Tommy teased the lead monster marauder. Apparently Rita and Zedd's gang had had a bit of time on their hands over the past few years and evil regimes. He hoped Rito's apparent memorization of pithy sit-com lines meant he and the rest of the foot soldiers hadn't spent much of that time training to fight another day. Still, he knew he could not let himself get cocky or complacent. Sloppiness could get someone hurt…or worse.

"Geeeerrrr, you have no idea…" Goldar mumbled in response as he stepped forward and knocked Rita's moronic, yet deadly, brother out of the way with his sword. "Assemble the Tengas for attack on the others," he ordered as a vicious grin rose to his face. "I'll take the fallen Green Ranger," he promised in a menacing tone.

"Try me," Tommy commanded in a calm voice with his hand stretched out, fingers beaconing forward momentum towards him. It'd had been a long time since he'd faced this golden nemesis. There was no love lost between the two of them, and Tommy was itching to see if the winged beast still had a fight left in him.

"Rocky, look out!"

Tommy turned his head away from his advisory for a split second to see that four Tengas had snuck up on Rocky while he prepared to face-off with Rito. Luckily, with TJ's warning, the Red Ninja Ranger was able to refocus his attention and fend off what Tommy knew from his earlier fight this day was a hopeless motley crew of out-of-shape featherbrains.

This split second of concern for his teammates' gave Goldar the chance to jump forward and aim a flying kick at the White Falcon. But Tommy's reflexes were too sharp from nearly five years as a Ranger and nearly a life-time of martial arts training; he simply obstructed the kick with a sharp overhead block and flipped backwards to gain distance and formulate his own plan of attack.

The White Ranger smiled under his mouth mask and quickly jerked his head to the right. "Well, Goldie, I told you to try me; and that was nice. Huh-Cyyaaaa!" he shouted as he aimed his own flying kick at Goldar's still trying to regain a sense of equilibrium form after the abrupt block the monster had crashed into.

Resisting the urge to give his opponent time to get back up, as he was so conditioned to do in the last nearly two years of simply sparing fights, Tommy performed a series of combinations on Goldar as the lead lieutenant of evil continued to try to regain his footing.

'Huh! Huh!' was followed by 'GAR! GAH!' for nearly a minute before Goldar finally regained a proper stance on the ground and backed up from the Falcon to re-group.

…Tommy found it frighteningly cathartic to be once again attempting to beat the gold beast into submission.

"Tommy!" Adam's voice sounded as he was being attacked by eight Tengas at once. "I could use your help over here, AHhhhkk. Ya know, when you get a minute there," he finished with obvious sarcasm.

Tommy feigned running to Adam's assistance for a moment before turning back towards Goldar and sending a Ninjetti enhanced flying kick towards Goldar's armored mid-section. "Stay down!" he ordered as the monster flew through the still standing debris of a brick wall, which was all that was left of one of Angel Grove's most historic buildings...

Just the thought of how much destruction the evil doers of the universe had been able to inflict on the poor citizens of Angel Grove and their architectural and artistic, not to mention intellectual and spiritual accomplishments, set Tommy's teeth on edge. This was his city that was now rubble at his feet. He couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt for not stepping into this battle sooner, nor hate for the dastardly bastards of evil whom had created this fight…

"Hang on, Adam!" Tommy both commanded and promised as he turned his thoughts away from his own personal faults, feelings, and failings and turned back towards the battle at hand.

As he approached where Rocky, Adam, and TJ were facing off against only Rito and the Tengas, he realized why it was that they couldn't handle that small force by themselves: a swarm of black feathered and black hearted beasts was still descending from the sky. Out of practice and desire or not, there were about 45 Tengas and counting supporting Rito against the four Rangers.

The odds seemed insurmountable.

Now he understood why the Space Rangers had retreated before his own incredulous eyes only hours before.

Just as he was about to curse their luck and order a retreat, two pink streaks of light lit the sky.

Though logic dictated he shouldn't make assumptions, his heart knew who occupied one of those pillars of color.

_Kimberly_, he thought, my _Kimberly_.

XXXX

"Damn, that's a lot of feather beds," Kim smirked as she landed with Cassie and surveyed the sight of Tengas before them. But then she quickly shouted, "NINJA RANGER POWER, NOW!" getting straight into the battle they were needed in…and preventing the Pink Space Ranger from having another fangirl moment at another display of her 'famous wit'.

She just couldn't deal with that right now…

To her gratification on both fronts, she heard Cassie shout "LET'S ROCKET!" as she finished her own transformation, ending in that old friend of the Pink Crane stance.

She smiled to herself as she took a second to straighten back into a fight ready stance. She'd forgotten what a high the Ninja Powers and strength gave her.

She also couldn't help but notice, and feel, the white clad figure in the midst of the fight before her.

Tommy. Her Tommy.

Running towards the grunts and shrieks of pain of their four male teammates, Kimberly looked towards Cassie and immediately took her former leadership role. "Cassie, I'm guessing there're about 50 birdbrains, plus the bonehead in that unflattering camo-bone attire, here. That's about 13 each. We don't have weapons, so you and that guy in blue over there are gonna have to use your blasters or whatever to clear the field a bit, got it?" she both ordered and inquired with a voice of authority.

Cassie nodded slowly in seeming aw.

Now Kim just hoped that WAS another fangirl moment and not disbelief in her mathematical abilities.

"Now would be good, Cas," Kim jerked her head in an expression of slight annoyance as she attempted to refrain from rolling her eyes again.

Although she was drawn, on a visceral level, to leap to Tommy's defense first, she charged towards the Black Frog Ninja Ranger whom was being held down and apparently chocked and beaten by a vast squad of generally incompetent Tengas.

She thought about her last history course and how this was Maoism at its finest. Doesn't matter the training or equipment, its strength in numbers alone that can win certain fights.

"YAhhhh!" Kimberly shouted as she used a flying kick and punch combination to get the nearest Tengas to Adam off of him. "HUH!" she continued as she used her Ninjetti strength to punch several more out of the Frog's vicinity.

"Adam!" Kim shouted as the Black Ninja Ranger fell to the ground. "Adam, come on!" she urged after she had used a combination of flips and kicks to force the rest of the Tengas away from the obviously injured Ranger and help him up and away from the recovering mutant birds.

"Kim?" Adam asked in meek confusion as the Pink Crane helped him to his feet and began to guide towards a piece of wall they could hide behind while he regained his strength.

Meekness was nothing new from Adam. What frightened Kim was his disorientation.

"Easy, Adam," Kimberly lightly ordered as she guided him towards the place of (hopefully) safety of the stone wall. "Just sit down for a sec, annnnnddd," she stalled for a moment while she tried to remember the best way to check for a concussion from that first aid course she'd taken in high school, "and, like, tell me your name, who's President, and your mother's maiden name." Heck, she knew this was the best analysis she could do without a pen-light to check his pupillary responses.

_Why the HELL do they tell you to check for pupillary responses!_, she shouted to herself. _NO one even CARRIES damn pen-lights, well_, her thoughts softened, _except maybe for Billy maybe_…

"Ummm," Adam began as Kim pulled down his mouth mask. "Adam Park. Reagan is President, annnnnnnnnnnndddddddd, Mom?" he answered.

"Damn!" Kim swore under her breath, but quickly rearranged her disheartened facial features before turning her attention back to Adam. "Well, one out of three is better than nothing, buddy," she smiled in encouragement. This was going to be worse than she thought.

"Just take a second to lie down here, Adam," Kim ordered cheerfully as she gently pushed the concussed Black Ninja Ranger down onto a pillow of rubble. "We'll take car—

"'Sorry 'bout the weirdness and stoofffff," Adam slurred as he grabbed Kim's hand before she could finish. "After 'The Letter' an' all," Adam continued putting 'The Letter' in air quotes. "You're still a great guurrrrr…." he trailed off, seemingly unable to finish.

"What letter?" Kim asked in caught off-guard confusion.

Now Adam stared back at her in confusion, but as he began to open his mouth in a concussed answer—

"ADAuuuMMM! Get your ass back out here, BUDDY!" they both heard Rocky shout.

Both the Pink and Black Ninja Rangers frowned at each other.

"Stay down," Kimberly ordered as she pushed Adam back down to the debris.

He didn't argue as a moonfaced look rose to his eyes. Though she was fearful for her old friend and selfishly desirous of learning what he meant by this whole letter thing, she rose with energy and flipped over the wall that once was part of a building and back into action.

On her landing, she caught sight of where Rocky struggled and cartwheeled over to land a kick on the most malicious Tenga facing him. "Take that, Birdbrain! Huh!" she exclaimed as she flip-kicked another series of foot soldiers. "Go back to the central casting reject bar you came from!"

Rising up from his Tenga rendered position on the ground, Rocky smiled with his eyes at his old friend. "Missed your running commentary, girly," he smiled.

Kim smiled with her unconcealed eyes back, "Yeah, well, Huuahh! I do wedding as and Bat Mitzvahs," she joked as she continued to kick Tenga ass.

Although part of her hated it, she really did miss kicking Tenga ass…_And RITO'_s!, she thought as she punched one last featherbrain and faced her former, boned adversary. She narrowed her eyes in disgust.

"Well, well, well, hottie, we me—"

That misogynistic line was enough. Kim immediately summoned all her strength to strike Rito mid-poorly punned sentence and grabbed his bone-sword out of his grasp. Before he could turn his head and even say "HEY!" she had it sheathed between his ribs and spine, locking his arms behind his back, rendering him useless.

"What THE!"

"We all have our Crosses to bare, Rits. You with your cross shaped piece of bone between your spine and chest-plate, and me with my startling good looks and athleticism," Kim answered the skeletal creature coquettishly.

Before Rito could respond, Kimberly narrowed her eyes and sneered as she kicked him 'where the sun don't shine,' causing him to double over. "That was an experiment," she smirked before adding, "and also, like, ya know, for my Griffin Zord, which you so callously sunk into, like, magma or whatever. I'll NEVER get that one…" she trailed off as she turned from his writhing form as it attempted to free itself from the bondage she placed it under. She had to admit: she'd NEVER gotten over that idiot's destruction of their Zords.

Turning from Rito before he somehow managed to teleport away from the scene of his latest failed battle, Kim caught a glimpse of the last few Tangas rising into the sky.

That wasn't all she saw.

She also got her first full look at the White Falcon Ninja Ranger, undoubtedly Tommy, as he slapped five with Cassie, Rocky, and that Blue Space Ranger she hadn't met yet, in succession. This was only a second before she caught his eye too.

"Kimberly," he breathed out in what Kim could only guess was astonishment at her return to the Ranger colors.

It had to be astonishment, she reasoned, it couldn't be—

"Tommy, LOOK OUT!" she shouted while she leaped towards the threat behind him, simultaneously.

Within seconds, all she could see was the blue sky above her, and all she could feel was pain.

XXXX

As Goldar slowly regained consciousness, he felt a wave of hatred take over his already hate-filled and evil body.

Tommy, he thought, that little Ranger bastard Tommy again.

He snarled as he broke through the wall of rubble that disgusting reject of an evil lieutenant had used those goody-good powers to knock him through. The Green Ranger, for that's always what Goldar would know him as, would never have made it as Rita's number one soldier; now he had to use Nijor's magic to defeat an ageless being like himself.

Raising his resolve, he used his once banished wings to fly towards the now white clad Ranger with his sword pointed forward.

"Tommy, LOOK OUT!" he heard before he struck a target.

The only problem was that the target his weapon impaled wasn't white.

It was pink.

**Additional Author's Note:** Welp, here we are… The reason this chapter took so long was because I had this elaborate action in my head that I couldn't figure how to convey. Then I realized the play that constantly plays out in my head doesn't need to be completely played out; only tell it from the perspective that is needed for the scene, sister (is what I said to myself). I bore you all with my writing method as I clearly just maimed someone in the story…

**Please leave a review **and let me know what you think of this chapter, the story so far, the economy, losing Sat. postal service, whatever!

Peace, love, and Rock 'n Roll,

Eals


	14. If We Must Die

**Author's Note:** Well, I guess it's "Drama Time" (Ya know, like "Hammer Time" in the early 90's…no? Oh well, whatever…). Thanks to all who read and took the time to review, favorite, and or follow last chapter and this story as a whole. Yeah, you know how much I appreciate the feedback and how subsequently powerful you are in kicking my butt into gear to update.

I don't own or have rights to Power Rangers.

**In the Absence of Destruction**

Chapter 13: If We Must Die

**Downtown Angel Grove**

It was funny in an ironic sort of way. For all the time she'd been in mortal danger as a Ranger, she'd never given any serious thought to dying, about what it would mean, about how it would feel.

Pain. A bright blue sky above her. The absence of worry, care, but still, the pain.

So this is what dying felt like.

But before too long, worry and care invaded her tranquil, if painful state. _Adam_, she thought, _Adam has a concussion and is alone behind that broken wall_. If she must die, she thought how she could not let this information die with her.

But then she was worried that maybe she was already dead because surely the face blocking her view of the sky was that of the last person she thought of late would actually care about her in their mutual Earthly state, the face of Heaven, her own personal paradise; there was no other explanation for him looming over her given the abrupt and confusing separation she'd had with him since that dreadful event with Maligore.

But still, Heaven couldn't possibly be this painful…

"Kim!" words from the face, invaded her senses, implored her. Tommy, her Tommy. He had to be if he was here now. "Stay with me here, Kim!" he begged and ordered at once.

She knew she was dying and had to get the information about Adam out before she left this plain of existence, but before she could get this knowledge out, the pain she was suffering so fiercely from was compounded, doubled, tripled, as a hand pressed into her gaping wound.

But also, impossibly to anyone other than her, she felt so much better, almost healed through body and soul, because the hand that touched her, a hand she hadn't allowed herself dream would ever wonder near her again (even if she did secretly dream it against her better judgment), was his, Tommy's. She knew that if she was dying she was surely allowed to call him her Tommy without compunction. And as she felt his free hand now lightly stroke her somehow hoodless face, she allowed herself the last dying wish that he still loved her as much as she loved him.

"Tommy," she breathed out longingly as if it was a prayer.

"Yeah," he smiled down at her. _Okay_, she thought_. Doesn't matter where 'here' is, but that smile on that body, this WAS Heaven_… "Yeah, Beautiful, it's me. Just hang on for me now," he seemed to beg again.

If he was begging her, he had to care; all dying allowances might effectively be moot…

_Adam_, she thought, imploring her own self to stay focused. "Adam," she whispered her thought aloud with her lingering strength. "Adam…needs help," she tried her best to convey her message.

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay," her Tommy assured her. "Rocky's taking care of him."

"Good," she breathed out in a smile.

She'd lived a good life, fought for the safety of her fellow man, stood up for what she believed in, protected the defenseless, cared for her friends.

Was loved.

Her life had meant something, had purpose. This last act of compassion for her former teammate only emphasized that fact. She would not die in vain, and for this she was happy, proud.

Her final mission complete, she smiled once more and extended a weak hand for one final at on Earth; even if it was an act of utter selfishness, she knew that he couldn't begrudge her this act in her death. And as she softly touched his face one last time, like she had had license to do for so long, but had taken such a simple act for granted, she smiled a third time, this time in contentment as the world faded to black around her.

XXXX

_This is not happening_, he thought as the only girl he'd ever truly loved fell to the ground in a puddle of blood before him. This could not be real.

But even through the fear and concern that surged through him, there was a stronger feeling of rage.

Goldar.

That gold winged bastard, Claymation reject.

"Goldar!" he shouted in fury as he summoned all he Ninjetti strength to unleash a menacing chop across the gold monster's body.

"Arggggg!" Goldar exclaimed as he fell back, one of his previously restored wings falling to his side, now severed from his body.

"Bones!" Goldar exclaimed as he looked to the North, a monstrous object descending from the sky towards them. "Finnish THEM!" he ordered as he picked up his severed wing and teleported into the ether.

"Take care of it," Tommy ordered a stunned TJ and Cassie as he sank down to help his Kimberly. He didn't care what any letter ever said, she WAS his Kimberly.

He held back a gasp as he took in his first good look at her fallen form. A deep red streak was now permanently staining the entire right side of her Ninja suit; Goldar's sword had pierced the right side of her abdomen.

Red mixed with pink; he idly thought how these were the colors of valentines, passion. These were the colors of his life force. Red, the color of HER life force, quickly seeping out of her body…

"Kim!" he begged her as he bent over her and sought her eyes with his own. He couldn't help but panic at the vague, starry-eyed look in those orbs he'd so often stared into lovingly in the past, seeing her soul as he shared his with her and her alone. Now that soul seemed to be leaving him.

"Stay with me here, Kim!" he pleaded with her as he pressed his white gloved hand against her wounded stomach, feebly attempting to staunch the flow of blood.

With his free hand, he first pulled off her, then his own, hood and mouth cover and began to lightly stroke her face, hoping against hope his love alone would heal her.

"Tommy," she breathed out to him with a coherence he now, in this dire time of need, allowed himself to believe was a sign of her affection for him. But, he could tell it was an effort for her to speak his name, even if the simple word on her lips filled his soul with unspeakable joy. He needed her to save her strength. He needed her to save it so that she could use it to stay alive. She couldn't die; if she died…

No, he couldn't think that. She had to save her strength and stay alive. She had to live for his sake, for the world's sake. A world that would be empty without her beautiful spirit.

Beautiful. His Beautiful.

"Yeah," he finally responded to her with a smile, hoping his smile alone would encourage her stay alive, stay with him. "Yeah, Beautiful, it's me. Just hang on for me now." He meant his words to be an order for her life, but he knew they came out as a plea.

"Adam," she whispered to him with lingering strength. "Adam…needs help." His Kim. Even in her time of eminent need she was filled with concern and compassion for other's needs before her own. This was just one of the things that made him love her…

With her words of warning, he flashed his eyes at Rocky whom he had just now noticed was kneeling next to him, worry and concern marring his own face. With the split second glance he shot at the Ape Ninja Ranger, he conveyed his message for Rocky to take care of their companion while he tended to his Beautiful.

As Rocky nodded in acknowledgement and rose to find the Frog, Tommy stroked Kimberly's face again and pleaded, "Shhh, shhh," imploring her to save her strength. "Rocky's taking care of him," he promised in an effort to assuage the concern marring her face.

"Good," she whispered with a look of contentment before closing her eyes.

Tommy's heart was immediately filled with a dread he'd never thought possible.

"Kim." He shook her shoulder gently. "Kim!" He shook her shoulder more forcefully. "KIM!" He shook her entire upper body and shouted her name hysterically.

"No. No. No!"

"Tommy, what is it man?!" Rocky questioned with concern as he helped a stoned looking Adam over to where the Falcon kneeled over the fallen Crane.

"She just passed out," Tommy answered in a more restrained tone as he removed his glove and checked her pulse.

Breathing a sigh of tense and guarded relief, Tommy traced a finger along Kim's cheek before informing Rocky, "I've got a pulse, but it's weak and thready." He attempted to maintain a façade of composure while informing his subordinate of their teammate's condition, but knew that his fear and agony over her condition was most likely transparent to the Red Ninja Ranger. Hell, he was pretty sure even Adam in his weakened mental state could see through his outward attempt at stability.

As the battle between the two Space Rangers and the old Ranger nemesis Bones raged on half a football field away, Tommy continued as calmly as he could muster, "We've gotta get these two out of here and get them medical attention." He paused for a moment while all three conscious (even if one was only technically in a semi-conscious state) Rangers looked up at the sound of TJ exclaiming from a blow from the boned creature that seemed to punctuate his words. "Now," he finished.

Rocky frowned for a moment. "Well, the Underground isn't prepared for something like this," he said as he stared down in dejection at the seminal Earth Pink Ranger for a moment. "We could los—" He didn't bother to finish this statement at the suddenly terrified and defeated look on the White Ranger's face. The mere thought of losing Kim was obviously far too traumatic for the lead Ranger to even contemplate.

"But, wait." A light seemed to go off in Rocky's head for a moment as he quickly deposited Adam safely down on the ground and fumbled for his communicator. It was obvious he had a flash of an idea. "Come in, Justin!" he spoke into the communicator before answering Tommy's questioning expression. "Remember Justin told us he had a project going on with Billy that could help us in this fight? What if—"

"Read you, Rocko," the young man's voice answered, cutting off the Red Ninja Ranger's thought before he could make his musings apparent to Tommy.

"Justin!" Rocky exclaimed urgently. "We've got a serious problem right now, man. Kimberly's been badly hurt and Adam's got a concussion. We need your—"

"I'm fixing a set of coordinates in your communicators," Justin answered before Rocky got a chance to finish. "Just press the teleportation button and—"

"Justin," this time Rocky cut the former Blue Turbo Ranger off. "It's really, really bad," he nearly whispered into his communicator, attempting to prevent the return of the deadened look of dread on Tommy's face at the revelation of this all too apparent truth.

He failed.

Tommy looked like he was the one who had been stabbed in the place of another.

"Don't worry, Rocky," Justin's reassuring voice broke through Tommy's haze of panic and horror. "We'll have everything we'll need."

"Right," Tommy nodded, attempting to bring himself back into the leader mode he needed to be in to save his love's life, just as she had his by taking the sneak attack blow from Goldar for him. And he would save her life. There was no other option.

He gently caressed Kimberly's face one last time as he bent down to pick her up. As he lifted her and cradled her to his strong body, he whispered in her unconscious ear, "Just hang on a little while more, Beautiful. I'm gonna take care of you," a message to her and her alone. A message he let himself she would not only hear, but feel even in her critical state.

"Let's go," the White Ninja Ranger ordered as the four once former Power Rangers now back in the fold disappeared into four pillars of light and rose to the sky, the battle between the Pink and Blue Space Rangers and Rita's classic monster still raging on in the wake of their colored streaks.

**Additional Note: **The title of this chapter came from a Harlem Renaissance poem by the same name. If you're American, you probably read it in high school English class. If not, I don't know what your teacher was doing in high school English class.

**Please leave a review** and let me know what you think of this chapter. I hope there wasn't too much sap. I hate when I get too sappy, but then again, it's Tommy-Kim, soooo, there's bound to be a lot of sap…I guess…Hey, it gets me through the night (!).

Peace,

Eals


	15. Bone Heads That Don't Necessarily Have

**Author's Note:** I must apologize for my lack of posting, AGAIN. I think since the last time I updated this story I finished a short story in another fandom, saved a pregnant woman from being assaulted by her ex-boyfriend at a car dealership, got offered a partnership in an industry I know almost nothing about, interviewed for a cop job in the town where I saved a pregnant woman from being assaulted, went to court to testify for the prosecution (but didn't have to, because the jerk-head who was trying to assault his pregnant ex-girlfriend plead guilty), finished 4th overall in the world for women in an "Expresso Cycling" competition at the Y, ran a Half-Marathon, turned another year older, and got autographs from two former Power Rangers (okay, so the last three things (the older and autograph things) occurred in the last week but incidentally had nothing to do with each other; I'm not that exciting). I've been a little busy, So, Thanks for sticking with this! Also, the title was meant to encompass this and more action that will have to wait for another chapter…I'm a big mouth who runs on too long, and I just need to start accepting that before I name things.

I don't own or have rights to Power Rangers or Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

In The Absence of Destruction

Chapter 14: Bone Heads (That Don't Necessarily Have to do with them having Bones for Heads)

**Downtown Angel Grove**

As TJ lifted his arm from the block he'd used against his latest opponent, he was able to raise his eyes in time to see four streaks of light illuminate the sky: White, blue, and Green…pink was there, but somehow it seemed so languid and faint that he thought maybe that color had been but a figment of his imagination and he'd only seen three streaks. But, regardless of what he had or hadn't seen, it was clearly evident that he and Cassie were now left alone to face the giant boned structure of a monster on their own.

After seeing at least one of his nascent teammates down from the current battle, he had all the confidence in the world that they would be successful in defeating this hideously ugly being.

"Ahhhahahahahaa! Power Rangers! We meet again!" the bone-monster declared with that same old unaccountable and outlandish bravado that ALL of the damn evil-doers-of-destruction seemed to possess for some unfathomable reason…_Such is the world all generations of Rangers live in_, TJ thought.

"Ahhh, this may be a news flash to you, Bone-Head, but we've never actually had the pleasure to make your acquaintance," Cassie quipped as she stalked-up to stand beside TJ. As she did so, TJ noticed she ended her goading words with a bit of a self-satisfied chuckle at her own use of minor wit. He wondered if she was trying to impress that Original Pink Ranger, Kim, and if she was aware that Kim and the others had obviously already left the scene of the fight. Either way it didn't matter; it was adorable, and he found himself smiling like a goof under his helmet even in this tense battle mode.

"What does it matter, Rangers?! You are all the same in the end to me!" the skeletal monster answered the Pink Space Ranger. "I am Bones, Bones 2.0, if you please, and I will crush you no matter WHO you are!"

"Why do they always have to speak in heroic exclamations," TJ wondered under his breath before he shouted, "Huhh, YAAAA," while attempting to block and counter attack a kick-punch combination from Bones 2.0.

_So_, he thought, _the initial 'intimidating banter' stage was over. On to the fight_.

"TJ!" Cassie shouted as Bones landed a firm kick into the Blue Space Ranger's abdomen and sent him flying 10 feet through the air. Recovering from her concern for her teammate and friend quickly, she shot Bones 2.0 in what constituted his head with her Satellite Stunner.

"Nice one, Cass!" TJ congratulated as he recovered his footing and summoned his Astro Axe, which he quickly aimed at the now stunned being's torso.

"Ahhhhhhhaahahahahaha!" Bones 2.0 cried out, then laughed out in some weird amalgamation of emotion after the strike of TJ's blow. "You puny Rangers still think you can stop me the way you may destroy an inferior being…" the boned creature continued as TJ heard a channel opening on his communicator, "but YOU DON'T KNOW THE POWER OF BONES!"

As TJ rolled his eyes at the monster's 'tough guy' statement and blocked its latest blow with a return of his own, his communicator came to life.

"Hmmm," a whisper emanated from his wrist, "a bit more verbose than I remember…"

"WHA—THE!" TJ began in response to the unfamiliar voice and its strange transmission. He thought how a little introduction would help; it'd be much more helpful to talk to another potential Ranger than some tragic teenager who'd managed to work his way from online D&D to opening random communication channels…

"Oh, Sorry, I'm just stunned by the semi-sentient being's absurd ability to possess a somewhat vast vocabulary," the voice on his communicator answered.

TJ smiled and briefly shook his head at an apparently equally confused Cassie while Bones continued to attempt to recover from their blows before them. 'Billy,' he mouthed to himself based on stories he'd heard about the strangely intelligent original Blue Ranger from other members of The Blue Network.

"Oh, please excuse my indecorousness; I'm Billy Cranston, th—"

"—Hey," Cassie cut in. "Wasn't he, like, Alpha 5's side-kick in the Command Center, or something?"

_Uhhhggg_, TJ cringed greatly within the safety of his helmet while sending a flying kick towards Bones, which subsequently sent the monster flying itself.

Billy huffed over the communicator for a second before responding, "Allow me to curb my automatic negative affect and subsequent resentment towards that unintended slight and inform you that that assignment in the Command Center was merely a temporary disposition."

As Cassie shot Bones with her Stunner once again, she shot TJ a, "Huuhhh?"

"Yeah, Cass, get with the program," TJ responded in his most light hearted tone. After all, he REALLY didn't want Cassie pissed at him for being pissed at her for dissing another True Blue... "Billy was the ORIGINAL Blue!" he made his enthusiasm sound as up-beat as possible.

"Your affirmation is genuinely gratifying, TJ," Billy responded over their communicators as TJ struck Bones with his axe in a three strike move that only seemed to wound the beast.

"Great, Billy. YAHH!" TJ proclaimed with another strike of his axe while Cassie attempted to kick the thing of a monster in the head. "Got any suggestions in that big ol' notorious brain of yours?!"

"Quite a bit," Billy responded with a pointed use of calm and restraint. "Actually, that was the reason for my original communication to you guys."

"FANTASTIC!" TJ exclaimed sarcastically as he continued to spare with Bones.

"Affirmative," Billy continued calmly, seemingly unbeknownst to the plight the two Space Rangers were in. "The manner by which you must destroy this monster known as Bones is to sever its head and heave it into an inferno."

"WHAT?!" both Cassie and TJ exclaimed in incomprehension. TJ thought how Billy's once funny geek-speak was not helping him out in the least while he and Cassie were single handedly attempting to destroy this weirdo monster in front of them whom, incidentally, claimed to know them from a previous battle.

"You two are exas—" Billy was cut off in his response as Bones 2.0 slashed both Cassie and TJ his strange, flimsy looking sword.

"AHHHHhhhh!" TJ and Cassie shouted as they fell to the ground in immediate shock.

Standing and bracing himself, TJ asked in desperation, "we don't get you; what are we supposed to do, Billy?!

"For God's sa—" Billy began, "JUST CHOP THE DAMN THING'S HEAD OFF AND THROW IT IN A FIRE!"

Perplexed and slightly vexed by this suggestion, TJ shouted into his communicator, "What the Hell is this, BUFFY?!"

Before Billy could answer, Cassie's voice seemed to indicate her face lighting up as she returned another one of Bones' blows. "Oh My GOD, TJ! You watch Buffy?!" she asked with evident glee.

TJ at first found himself chagrined by his unintended revelation….but then he realized that he'd been trying to get with Cassie for a while and turned his real embarrassment into faux, shy embarrassment as he answered, "sometimes," in a fake meek voice.

"Cool," Cassie replied as if she was about to start twirling her hair around her finger.

"THE MONSTER, RANGERS!" Billy helpfully reminded over their communicators.

"Right!" TJ responded as he nodded to Cassie to get ready to receive the monster's severed head to throw in a fire after he'd used the might of his Astro Axe.

As he positioned himself to make the blow, he chided himself; there certainly were enough fires in Angel Grove in which to through a space alien's severed head. He and the rest of the Space Rangers had seen to that with their failure…

"TJ, NOW!" Cassie ordered when she saw an opening, which apparently, TJ's negative automatic thoughts had not prepared for.

"Right!" TJ nodded before striking the beast across the neck.

"YAHHHHHHH!" he shouted in a battle cry as the monster in front of him inexplicably exploded like all normal monsters do…ya know…eventually…

"Huuhhh?" Cassie asked in her position behind Bones, which she'd assumed in anticipating following Billy's directive.

"I don-know," TJ shrugged. _So much for Billy's hyperbole, _TJ thought, then amended_, WHY AM I THINKING LIKE BILLY KNOW…oh, oh, it's okay, I spelled NOW wrong in my thoughts_, he thought.

What a comfort.

Before either TJ or Cassie could question Billy on this strange anomaly, Billy beeped their communicators again.

"Well, that's a surprise, but not ultimately unforeseen; we should always anticipate such unexpected behavior from our opponents."

"Right, YEAH!" TJ and Cassie slapped each other five in celebration before Billy could continue.

"Unforeseen or not," Billy began again with an air of distraction, "I'm transporting you to a new location where you are required as Rangers."

As the transport beam neither he nor Cassie had summoned began to transport him, TJ felt his face go pale.

_The Pink Ranger_, he thought, _what happened to the Pink Ranger?_

**Additional Author's Note:** Again, sorry this took so long to get out *shrugs with shame* Also, I think adult Billy would talk more like Mulder and Scully, but he's still only like 19 or something in this story, so he inexplicably uses "big words" where they are not necessarily needed…Wow, hypocrite much, here? Hahahaha. I don't know, you be the judge.

**Please leave a review** and let me know what you think so far. Please (if you must) shout at me for not getting back to the Kim stuff sooner; I need it to kick me in the butt to get through the tough fight scene stuff to get there : \ .

Peace, love, and happy Memorial Day (to all you fellow Yanks out there!),

Eals


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